


Bruised, Broken & Healed

by RiseoftheBlossom



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Rewrite, Shameless Smut, Smut, non massacre
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:08:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 104,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22280836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiseoftheBlossom/pseuds/RiseoftheBlossom
Summary: "Sometimes, she just needs somebody to be there for her," he murmured quietly, watching how Sakura twisted under the covers until she was laying on her front, curled around one of the spare pillows. "Either it's to listen to her, or to hold her. It's almost subconsciously that she does it, too. Sakura goes to the place she feels safest. For now, that's me, but... I'm the one who broke her in the first place."
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Itachi
Comments: 60
Kudos: 179





	1. Prologue

**Bruised, Broken & Healed  
**By: Rise of the Blossom

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

_Crow-san,_

_I know you can probably tell already, but this is not Taka. I think it's a little (very) obvious, to be honest. His writing is much more feminine than mine – I'm often told that I have a doctor's handwriting. Wouldn't surprise me, really. I_ _am_ _a doctor._

_Anyway, you're most likely skimming through that first paragraph, wondering why the hell I'm writing to you instead of your adorable little brother. Long story short: we were on a mission, we kicked ass, got ambushed right at the end when we were on the border and Taka very foolishly overused a certain eye technique and is on strict bed rest._

_Great. I'm starting to sound like our orange-clad, idiot of a teammate. If you're guessing who I am, yes. I'm the girl with the large forehead._

_I'm rambling, sorry._

_Taka wanted me to inform you that until he can take the bandages off his eyes and his bones are healed, I will be writing to you in his place. He said feel free to stop writing because I'm quite annoying (he's lucky that he's already injured otherwise he'd be going straight through the walls of your lovely home and I know that your mother wouldn't be happy with me for that!), but I can tell that he wants to hear from you._

_In reply to your last letter, aside from his injuries, Taka is doing well. They shouldn't take too long to heal and I'm taking good care of him, although I may end up pummelling him if he continues to grunt "hn" at me instead of actually replying. Your parents are doing well, too, by the way. Your mother hopes that you will be returning soon, as does Taka. Your father doesn't really say much, but I think he misses you, too._

_Again, I'm rambling. I'm sorry! Taka is facing the window, brooding like always and expecting me to somehow read his mind and put pen to paper to tell you what I find. I wish I could read his mind. It would make speaking with him so much easier, instead of talking_ _at_ _him. Really, Crow-san, you should teach your little brother how to be polite the moment you get back. Being around Whiskers (that is what I have dubbed our orange-clad teammate, since I don't know whether or not Taka mentions us and has cool nicknames for us both) is having a bad effect on him._

_It may be best to close up the letter like this. I'm sorry if there was anything you wanted to know about. Include it in your reply and I'll tell you the answers if I have them. Other than that, how are you doing? Are you eating well?_

_Please be safe, Crow-san._

_Cherry._


	2. The Reply

**Chapter 1**

**The Reply**

* * *

_Cherry-san,_

_Yes, it was rather obvious the moment I received my letter that it was not Taka who wrote to me. Your handwriting is one I recognise vaguely, but also one that surprised me._

_As you are most likely aware, we can not go into details over these letters, Cherry-san. If they were to fall into the wrong hands, our positions would be compromised._

_Adorable? More like foolish. Taka should know better than to strain his eyes in such a way, especially considering that if he continues using it like that, his eyes will begin to deteriorate until he is blind. Keep an eye on him, Cherry-san and do not allow my foolish little brother to do such a thing to himself._

_I am grateful that you have taken up the task of writing to me in Taka's place. Word from home is rare and when my team and I do receive information, or simply gossip, it is vague at best._

_No, I suppose my mother wouldn't enjoy having a Taka sized hole through the walls of our home, but she will understand your reasoning. I do not expect my father to say much._

_You should stop apologising so much. There is no need for you to be sorry._

_Also, reading minds could be a very dangerous ability. Would you abuse such a technique? Many others would._

_Teaching Taka manners would be like telling a hungry lion not to devour me. Impossible. Taka is too much like our father. Even when he is wrong, he must be right._

_Whiskers – it is a fitting name for your friend. Taka usually dubs him as "the idiot", however your name for him is far less insulting. As for you, I believe he called you "Cherry" also._

_There was not much that Taka needed to reply to. As for myself, I am doing well. My team is currently resting for a day or two at base camp until we receive our next orders. After that, we will set out, so I will be unable to read and reply until we return. There is no telling how long that will take. It could range from a single day to several months._

_Thank you for your concern, Cherry-san, but it is unnecessary._

_I also hope that you do not write your own mission reports, as "we kicked ass, got ambushed right at the end when we were on the border and Taka very foolishly overused a certain eye technique" is hardly acceptable, wouldn't you think? Even for a 'long story short', it is rather vague._

_Crow_

* * *

Sakura smiled to herself and set down the letter. "Was that okay, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn."

It took everything in her not to scream at him. He'd been driving her crazy for a while now.

Due to being the proud, arrogant, stick-up-the-ass guy that he was, Sasuke demanded that only she should be the one to heal him. He wouldn't even allow Tsunade to heal him. Oh the blonde had looked about ready to tear into him, but Sakura had instead sighed and agreed before she could. It'd been uncomfortably late and she hadn't been in the mood for arguments. So, after taking a soldier pill, Sakura had tried to heal as much of Sasuke's wounds as possible before she collapsed with exhaustion. It'd been strange to wake up beside him, but before she could be startled, he'd huffed, muttering about not making it a habit of sharing his bed and that he'd only pulled her onto it because it would be annoying accidentally tripping over her, should he need the bathroom in the night.

Like their sensei, Sasuke wasn't particularly fond of hospitals, despite the fact he and Naruto spent quite a bit of time in them over the years. And no, not all visits were because of missions gone wrong. Some were because her teammates were absolute idiots who didn't know when enough was enough. So, instead of being in the hospital like he should have been, Sasuke was currently in his own home, with his own personal healer (her) and his own slave (his mother).

He was lucky they loved him enough to deal with his bullshit.

Glancing up at him, Sakura thought about when and how she had realised her love for him was not romantic.

They had been at a party and when Sakura noticed that Sasuke wasn't enjoying himself (which didn't surprise her since he hated being crowded and even _she_ had started to feel a little claustrophobic), she'd asked if he would take a walk with her as she was getting a headache. Like she had been expecting, Sasuke had hesitated for a moment, wondering which was worse: staying in such a crowded place, or taking a walk with the girl who had a not-so-subtle crush on him. For a moment she had thought that Sasuke would rather stay at the party. However a moment later, he had nodded once and led the way out. Around an hour later, they were sitting on top of the Hokage monument, comfortable with the silence as they looked out across the village, watching as many lights began to go out when families decided it was time for bed. It hadn't been long until he called her name, prompting her to turn to face him. However, instead of seeing Sasuke at least a foot away from her, he was by her side.

And then he was kissing her.

It shocked her, but it didn't take Sakura long to return his kiss. It wasn't until their tongues began to caress one another, however, that they began to feel a little awkward and uncomfortable. With a frown, Sasuke had pulled back, looking down at her for a moment until he closed his eyes and sighed. Before he could tell her that he didn't feel that way for her, though, Sakura had surprised him by beating Sasuke to it. It seemed to wound his pride a little, but he had given her a genuine smile and nodded.

Thankfully, their kiss had never made things awkward between them and honestly, Sakura was grateful that she had discovered her true feelings at the age of fourteen instead of possibly much later on in her life. At least that way she wasn't wasting her time. In fact, having those feelings sorted out seemed to bring them closer together. Not romantically, but in a friendship way. Sasuke no longer thought that she was an annoyance and Sakura no longer believed that the sun shined out of his ass.

"Oi, Sakura." She blinked in surprise, clearing her thoughts and smiling sheepishly. "What are you thinking about?"

He couldn't see her. His eyes were still covered by bandages to block out the light. Due to how much he had overused his sharingan, even in their usual dark state, his eyes were extremely sensitive. When she had been healing Sasuke the night before, she had noticed that his eyes were bloodshot and he kept squinting - it'd gotten progressively worse, too. After a while she had had to dim the lights to try and make him more comfortable, but in the end, covering them was the only way to alleviate him of his pain and prevent further damage.

In case he needed help (not that Sasuke would admit to such a thing), she chose to stay close by and Mikoto had even set up the spare room for Sakura across the hall from his, saying it was the least she could do. Despite being the matriarch of the Uchiha clan and her work being necessary, Sakura thought that the woman worked way too hard. She cooked, cleaned and went to the grocery store. She trained. She went to clan meetings. She dealt with that stubborn, cold husband of hers daily. She had to make difficult decisions while wearing a cold, expressionless mask. It was… It was maddening. Unfair.

"Nothing," Sakura replied quietly, shifting in her position.

Sasuke was leaning up against the headboard of his bed while she was sat by his side, doing the same. To make it more comfortable on their backs, they had propped his pillows against the headboard, leaning back onto them. "You're lying," he huffed and she just knew that he would be rolling his eyes at her. "I don't need to see you to be able to tell."

It was kind of creepy how well Sasuke knew her. It wasn't only her, either. He knew Naruto like that, too. Perhaps not Kakashi, but he still knew him pretty well, too. More than she or Naruto did. "How?"

"You fidget and when you're lying, you always take a deep breath before speaking. Don't try changing the subject."

He was bored. That much was obvious. It had been a whole week since their mission, but due to healing half naturally, Sasuke was on strict bed rest. Also, because of the amount of damage his eyes suffered, there was no telling when he would regain his sight. It would definitely (hopefully) come back, but it would take a while and Sasuke would also have to take it easy for a long time afterwards. If it wasn't for him, however, they would all be dead or even worse, the Kyuubi would have gone on a rampage, so she couldn't complain.

"Honestly, it's nothing. I'm just thinking about your injuries and how long they may take to heal. Mostly, I'm thinking about your sight."

"My sharingan?"

She shook her head, but remembering that he couldn't see her, she sighed. "You strained your eyes pretty badly this time, Sasuke-kun and your eyes are beginning to deteriorate. Itachi–san mentioned that that will happen until you eventually go blind if you continue the way you are." Sasuke nodded once, growing silent once more. "I promise I'll do everything I can to try and prevent it, but you're going to have to cooperate. No more overusing your eyes."

When Sasuke sighed in response to her words, she knew that it was because it was much easier said than done. She was well aware of how emotional her teammate could be at the best of times and in response to his erratic emotions, his sharingan would activate of its own accord (it happened mainly with his anger) like it reacted or was influenced by them. It was a cause for concern, in her eyes, as his sharingan was extremely powerful. Powerful enough for him to be given the role of being the Kyuubi's watcher, once he made jōnin.

"How can you prevent this from happening again?"

Sitting up slightly, Sakura stared at his face with unhidden pity. Since he couldn't see her, she wasn't worried about him seeing the look and getting pissed off with her. She worked hard on keeping the pity out of her voice, though. "I want to take a look at your sharingan, but we'll have to wait until your eyes are at least halfway to being healed completely. To try and activate your sharingan now will be like taking a kunai to yours eyes." She wasn't surprised when he cringed. "Your eyes don't hurt and your headache is gone for the moment because of the numbing effect my healing chakra has, but you'll be in extreme agony if you try anything now. Wait a while and I promise that the moment your eyes are up to handling the strain of the amount of chakra your sharingan uses, I will begin healing them."

His eyebrows mashed together beneath the bandages. "Sakura…"

"I know," she whispered almost inaudibly, but he could hear her clearly. Placing a hand on his arm, she dropped her head to his shoulder. "I'll do everything I can to save your sight, Sasuke-kun. I know how much it means to not only you, but also your clan." He nodded silently by her side, not returning her hold, but not pushing her away, either. It had always been that way with him. "Sasuke-kun, I know that you may not want to tell me, but I know that his eyes are used far much more than yours. Does your brother…?"

"I don't know," Sasuke answered truthfully when she trailed off. "Sometimes… Sometimes I see this look in his eyes. It's like they're unfocused, like he's not seeing anything in front of him, but I've seen that look in Kakashi's eyes, too."

ANBU. Unless one genuinely didn't mind the dirty work, then they would be psychologically scarred. There were no ifs or maybes. It was a fact. That was why her team had decided to stick to being jōnin. Well, that and because Naruto wanted to be Hokage and when that happened, he told them both that he wanted them there as his advisers. They couldn't do that if they were out on dangerous missions, risking their lives or worse, dead.

"The job haunts all ANBU operatives, I guess," Sakura mumbled. "Kakashi-sensei once told us that once you join ANBU, you never truly get out of it. It's a lifelong commitment." He nodded once. "I wish it wasn't that way. I understand that Kakashi-sensei and Itachi-san are talented shinobi and their skills are often needed, but…"

When she trailed off again, Sasuke sighed. "I know."


	3. We Need Them!

**Chapter 2**

**We Need Them!**

* * *

_Crow-san,_

_Don't think that I didn't pick up on your teasing comment at the end of your letter!_

_Usually, I write the reports for not only myself, but also Whiskers and Dog. I learned not too long after being on the same team as them that neither are to be trusted with writing their own reports. One always manages to spill ramen on it (when he can be bothered to even write one up) whereas the other always hands them in late. One time, Dog managed to hand a report in over three months late._ _I still don't understand why Shishou hasn't punched a hole through his chest. I can tell she's losing her patience with him. I can also tell that she knows I'm the one writing their reports as it's not that hard to notice the same, scruffy handwriting, but she doesn't question me or bring it up. It makes her life easier, I suppose. I'm glad for that, although_ _I don't know how Whiskers is going to cope when he takes over._

_Don't be that way! I saw a picture of you and Taka when you were both younger. Your mother was showing me the pictures and I have to say, you were both pretty adorable._

_I already grilled him about overusing his abilities and Taka has agreed to start taking it easy. I had to explain to him about the possibility of him going blind. He didn't seem to like that. He went all quiet and brooding – more so than usual. I promise I will take care of your brother and like I told Taka, I will do everything I possibly can to prevent him from going blind, but I don't have much information on the technique and Taka doesn't seem entirely comfortable with me asking your father. So until his eyes are healed, we are playing the waiting game. Hopefully the damage caused won't be permanent. I don't think I would be able to tell Taka if it was._

_I'll keep you updated on the latest gossip, Crow-san! I know that that is what you're secretly asking for. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me and luckily for you, my best friend just so happens to be the biggest gossip in the village._ _Also, Taka warned me already about not going into too much detail, telling me that I could be putting you at risk. Does that include gossip? If so, then poor you. Your heart must be breaking._

_Your mother is a very understanding woman, Crow-san. Of course she would understand if I punched her youngest son through the wall. He's been treating her like she's nothing more than a slave recently. I swear that jerk thinks he's royalty or something of the sort. I told him to quit treating her that way, as she seems crazy busy, but your mother would simply smile and accept it. She's a saint, Crow-san. A saint! I would have lost my temper long ago._

_Yeah, I can't help but apologise. It's sort of a habit that I picked up and once I put pen to paper, it's like the words just flow out of me and onto the page. Strange, right?_

_Oh that friend I was just telling you about abuses that particular technique all the time. Just the other day she did it just to give me the details of her latest fling. I think I would abuse the ability, but at the same time, I wouldn't. I want to know what people are thinking about me even if the truth hurts me, but then again, everybody deserves their privacy. What about you? Would you abuse such a gift?_

_I can see Taka calling Whiskers "the idiot". As for "Cherry"… Well, it's not too hard to guess why he called me that, right? It's partly the reason why I chose the name myself. It's simple and it'd make it easier for you to remember who I am, despite the fact that we have never spoken face-to-face. I don't think that we have, anyway. Unless that one time you answered the door to me counts. Does it? We didn't speak for very long. I'd say ten seconds, really, since Taka appeared and demanded that we left for training._

_It's great to hear that you're well! Make sure you're all well rested before you set out again. Doctor's orders! Can't have you all getting sick._

_My concern is necessary. I can't help but worry. Years of being on a team with your brother, Whiskers and a sensei who could be on death's door and_ _still _ _refuse to seek medical attention, taught me to be that way._

_Reply as soon as you can. Taka is quite restless. I don't think he likes being on strict bed rest. He likes hearing from you, though. So do I!_

_Be safe,_

_Cherry._

* * *

It was strange standing amongst the lovers for the men who were on the same mission as Itachi. They were all clutching their letters tightly to their chests but the moment the chūnin who collected the mail reached for their letters, they all but threw them at him, like they were desperate for them to reach their men. That didn't surprise Sakura. There was no telling what day would be your last in their line of work.

Smiling politely, she handed over the letter to the chūnin who returned her smile before he moved onto the next woman.

Due to it being imperative to keep their positions hidden, there were certain times during the week that you could send your letters off. Every Tuesday afternoon. The messenger bird carried letters twice a week (to and from) and was disguised to look like nothing more than an average bird. Only certain shinobi from Konoha could distinguish it and pick it out from the others. So, as usual, it was crowded in the waiting room at the Hokage tower.

All letters were inspected by Tsunade before being sent, to make sure that nothing was revealed if their enemies got their hands on the letters. If that happened they could be in big trouble. Considering that most of the other women were civilians it shouldn't have been necessary, but Sakura could understand. She could also understand why Tsunade had taken it upon herself to inspect the letters instead of ordering the chūnin before them to do it.

Letters were personal and sometimes, people found it easier to speak with one another when writing down their feelings. Sometimes, the contents of the letters were not so pure (and the chūnin standing not too far from her seemed to be only fourteen). Tsunade knew that feeling of longing and there was no judgement in her eyes. She understood them. What she read, never left her mind. In fact it made her fight harder to protect their village, to protect the love she had once experienced, yet lost all too soon, before she and Dan even had the chance to experience it fully.

Something else Sakura had noticed was that Tsunade was always sober when she read the letters. It wasn't until _after_ she had been through them all that she started drinking. Despite knowing that her shishou wouldn't appreciate it, Sakura couldn't help but pity her. It couldn't be easy going through those letters, of reading about a love she had wanted to keep. She wasn't sure if she would be capable of doing it, if she was in Tsunade's place. She supposed that made her emotionally weak.

Sighing, Sakura left the Hokage tower.

The men who were away on that certain mission had been gone for over seven months now. Sometimes they were allowed a week or so to return home and see their loved ones, but it was a rare thing to happen. They were staying along the border of Fire Country, watching and waiting for enemies.

Lately, things hadn't been too good between Konoha and Iwa. At first it had started with small disagreements. However, it wasn't long until things began to heat up and turn deadly. It didn't help that the Tsuchikage and the Hokage were both stubborn, hardheaded people. They refused to stand down or give up – their pride would not allow it. Not to mention that some of the things the Tsuchikage was asking for, were preposterous. He wanted more from them, more than what they could give.

The other hidden villages were not getting involved, although the Kazekage had told them that if they needed his help, he would help from within the shadows. Sakura couldn't blame Gaara for being so cautious as he was still being closely watched. Not many trusted him as Kazekage, not only because was he the youngest there had ever been, but he was also the jinchūriki for Shukaku. Over the years he had learned how to control Shukaku, but they were still wary of him, wondering if one day Gaara would snap and go back to his old ways.

There was no telling how long the teams who were sent to the border would be gone for, but there was no helping that. They were some of their best shinobi and Tsunade trusted them with protecting their village, their nation. Sasuke had mentioned to her before that this wasn't the longest Itachi had been away on a mission before (over eighteen months was his longest) but Sakura hadn't failed to notice the twitch between his eyebrows, like they wanted to mash together so that he could scowl.

He missed his brother. It was as simple as that.

Altogether there were seven base camps spread out along the border and according to Sasuke, Itachi's team was staying at base camp four. They were in the dead centre and one would have to be a fool to try and attack there. It had been Shikamaru's strategy. Their enemies would believe that they would put their strongest around the edges, believing that Iwa would try a sneak attack but instead they would ambush base camp four and barge their way into their nation. What Iwa didn't know, however, was that there were three geniuses staying at base camp four. Uchiha Itachi and Shisui as well as Hyuuga Neji.

The only reason Sakura knew about them was because she had been there during the meeting with Tsunade, Shizune and Shikamaru where they were decided. There was also two other teams staying at base camp four, but Sakura only knew four of the shinobi.

Their temporary captain, Yamato and a member of ANBU who had filled in for Naruto when he left to train with Jiraiya. His name was Sai. The other two were Izumo and Kotetsu. They were there for official business, like the stuff they helped Tsunade with. She didn't know the rest. They were all male, though. As far as she was aware of, no kunoichi had been sent to the border. She wasn't sure why. Perhaps they weren't needed? It wouldn't be that surprising considering just who the teams were made up of. They were all prodigies and geniuses in their own rights.

It still seemed rather sexist to her. However, given who their Hokage was and the fact that she _hated_ chauvinistic pigs, Sakura knew that it wasn't sexism. Maybe it really was that kunoichi weren't needed? Again, when one looked at who had been chosen…

Yeah, they weren't needed.

"Sakura!"

Sakura frowned as she stopped walking and glanced over her shoulder, but then smiled politely when she noticed it was Tenten calling her name, running towards her and waving her hand in the air. They had never really spoken before and on the few times that they had, they had been on a mission, meaning they couldn't stand around chatting. Sakura couldn't see Tenten doing such a thing even if they hadn't been on a mission. Yes, the girl was bubbly when she wanted to be, but she was also fierce and determined – just like her fiancé. Well, he wasn't bubbly. Sakura had to bite back a smirk at the thought of him being _bubbly_.

"What's up?" Sakura smiled when Tenten finally reached her. It didn't take too long.

"I saw you just now, at the Hokage tower?" The younger kunoichi nodded, hearing the small note of doubt in her voice. "I didn't know you had somebody you know in the teams on the border. Well, besides Kakashi-sensei, but I never would have thought that he was the type to write letters."

"He would if they were about his books." She rolled her eyes before adding, "I've written to Kakashi–sensei a few times, but his replies are always so vague and slow. I still write to him, just not as much. He's quite busy." Like always. "I was actually sending a letter to Itachi-san."

Tenten's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. " _Uchiha Itachi_?" she demanded and Sakura nodded slowly. "B-But why _him_?"

It didn't completely surprise Sakura that Tenten was so shocked, as Itachi was well-known in Konoha for being a loner and not only that, but his aura alone was intimidating, scaring off the weaker shinobi who couldn't handle being in his presence. There was only a handful of people who could get passed that aura and it saddened Sakura that it had to be that way for Itachi. Apparently what they said about geniuses was true – they had a hard time interacting with those below them. It wasn't because they believed themselves to be better (even if it did seem that way), it was because they just couldn't be understood. Most geniuses were antisocial. According to what Sasuke had once told her, Itachi was one of those.

Whenever Sakura spotted Itachi around Konoha, he was always alone or with another Uchiha named Shisui. They were both geniuses and from what she had heard, they were best friends, too. An unstoppable team. Rumour had it that many shinobi had given up when they found out they were facing Shisui and Itachi – some even say that the shinobi killed themselves before the Uchiha team could do it. Hopefully those were just rumours, though. She couldn't even begin to imagine the horror of watching somebody take their own life because they were too scared to fight you. It would make her feel like a monster.

Knowing that Sasuke wouldn't appreciate her telling anybody about his current predicament, Sakura smiled and shrugged. "Itachi-san is nice to talk to, despite what people say about him."

"I see." The brunette frowned.

Before she could ask any more questions, for Sakura could see the suspicion and curiosity in her chocolate brown eyes, she asked, "So how's Neji-san?" He was on Itachi's team. Yet another deadly addition. If the Uchiha men didn't get the opponents, then Neji definitely would. Nobody escaped his eyes, just like nobody escaped an Uchiha's. "You were sending a letter to him?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah." Tenten smiled, her frown and suspicion disappearing, although not completely. That was fine. Just as long as Tenten didn't try asking any more questions. If she let it slip that Sasuke had damaged his eyes badly, then he would never forgive her. In fact, the moment he was better, he would ask her if she wanted to spar one-on-one before kicking her ass into the ground. "Neji's doing fine. I was informing him on everything Lee has been doing. Gai-sensei, too, before he was also sent to the border. Deep down, I think he misses hanging around with them."

Sakura couldn't help but smile. "He grew up with their…"

"Youthfulness," she groaned, slapping a hand to her face. "Just don't say it too loud, Lee might hear you–"

"Tenten, we're–" A loud, unmistakable voice cut off and a bright smile graced his lips. "Sakura-san!"

Wow. Sakura blinked in surprise as Lee seemed to appear out of nowhere. Could he really hear when people were talking about youth? It sounded like some sort of creepy, sixth sense or something.

"Lee-san."

"I told you," Tenten said with a knowing look before turning to Lee. "What is it?"

"We have a mission," he stated, as loud and as energetic as always. Lee was currently hopping from foot to foot, looking impatient to get going. "We're going to base camp four!"

Tenten's eyes widened and her own bright smile graced her lips. "We are? Why?"

"There has been some suspicious activity and they need us," Lee exclaimed then looked down at the younger kunoichi. "Sakura-san, Tsunade-sama wishes to see you immediately. She says that it is important."

Important? What, did she lose her sake again? Sighing, Sakura nodded once, said her goodbyes and good lucks, before once again returning to the Hokage Tower.

It was strange. Even though she barely knew her, Sakura felt happy for Tenten. She hadn't failed to notice the happiness in her brown eyes when she heard the news. Being in love like she and Neji were had to nice. To her, Neji seemed cold and distant, sometimes downright unapproachable, but maybe he acted differently when alone with Tenten? After all, Sasuke acted differently when with his team. He was more open with them than he was with anyone else.

When she arrived at the Hokage Tower, it surprised her to find it so empty. There were no longer women crowding around the waiting area or standing by the entrance and the previous, loud chatter was now replaced with a silence that made her ears feel as though they were ringing. They cleared out pretty fast, didn't they?

Sakura knocked on the door of Tsunade's office and once given the permission to enter, she did so silently, shutting the door behind her.

"Sakura."

"You wished to see me, Tsunade-shishou?"

The blonde was sat at her desk, the letters for those at the camps piled neatly on one side of the desk. Much to Sakura's surprise, neither Shizune nor Tonton were in sight. It wasn't all that strange, but she hadn't been aware that Shizune was sent out on a mission. The reason she knew that it was a mission and not work at the hospital was because today she was supposed to be working at the hospital. Shizune was not on today's rota. In fact, she had no shifts for an entire week.

"How are Sasuke's eyes doing?"

Straight to the point like always. Tsunade hadn't even glanced up at her. "They're still highly sensitive to light and need more time to heal. I do what I can, but I don't have enough information on the sharingan to try anything risky." She couldn't take the risk of damaging Sasuke's eyes further. "The most I can do for him is relieve him of the pain and gradually heal the chakra burns."

"I see." Tsunade sighed, finally looking up as she folded her hands and covered her lips with them. "And you have no information on the sharingan at all? Besides the research I already gave you?" Sakura shook her head, feeling a little disappointed with herself because of that fact. If she had more information, if she could somehow talk Fugaku into giving her at least a tiny amount of detail, then she could possibly save Sasuke's eyes and any other Uchiha who was experiencing the same thing. "What about Kakashi's sharingan? Have you ever worked on that?" Sakura nodded, but the grimace on her features told Tsunade she didn't have much information. None that was important or anything she didn't already know, anyway. "Damn it."

She winced. "I can keep trying to talk Fugaku–"

"No. That would take far too long," the blonde practically growled as she sat back in her seat. "That bastard is as stubborn as I am and we need information on the sharingan _now_."

There was an urgency to her voice, making Sakura's body tense. "Why the rush?"

"Uchiha Shisui's eyes are deteriorating at a fast pace due to how much he has been using them. As you probably already know, he is one of few Uchiha who possess the mangekyō sharingan. With this type of sharingan, he can use a certain technique that allows him to control the mind without anybody even realising it."

"And Shisui-san has been using that technique to prevent fights, making the enemy retreat," she guessed, unable to shake the cold dread trickling down her spine at the thought of such a jutsu existing. Tsunade nodded once, gritting her teeth. "How badly are his eyes damaged, Tsunade-shishou?"

"Bad enough that he can barely see a thing when his sharingan is deactivated."

How could he have allowed it to get so bad? Why hadn't Shisui ever informed the Hokage about his damaged eyes? Just as that thought came to mind, so did the reminder that Shisui was an Uchiha. Like other Uchiha, he was too proud to ever admit that he was in pain. He would rather stay there and go blind while defending Konoha rather than leaving and eventually going blind anyway. At least, that way, he was doing everything he possibly could to protect their village.

"What about Itachi-san's eyes?" Sakura asked after a moment of silence. "He possesses the mangekyō too, doesn't he?" She was certain Sasuke had mentioned something about it before.

Tsunade nodded. "According to Itachi and Shisui, one can unlock the mangekyō when they experience the trauma of losing somebody the care for. For Shisui, as far as I'm aware of, it had been his parents. For Itachi, it had been when Orochimaru attacked the village during the chūnin exams and attempted to place a cursed seal on Sasuke."

There had been no attempting. Orochimaru _had_ put the cursed seal on Sasuke and her teammate had almost abandoned the village, but somehow, not too long afterwards, it had disappeared and he never thought about leaving again. Sakura had no idea how the hell that happened, but she knew that it had had something to do with Itachi and Shisui. Anko, too, surprisingly.

Wait... His jutsu...

Before she could continue that thought, her shishou spoke up once more. Part of her was grateful for that.

"Sakura, I want you to be prepared to get called to base camp four within the next couple of weeks. I would rather we wait for Sasuke to be healed as I want to send Team Seven, but if he is not healed in the next fortnight, you will be leaving without him and I will add a temporary member to your team. Is that understood?"

Temporary teammates or teams weren't too bad if she already knew them (for example, she loved when she was sent out with Ino). But when Sai had been on their team for several months, it was uncomfortable because he and Sasuke didn't get on with one another. He'd been placed on the team in Naruto's absence, as the blond had gone to train with Jiraiya for a while and she and Sasuke didn't want to stop going on missions and gaining more experience. That time wasn't particularly nice to remember, as Sasuke had been distant, had been considering taking Orochimaru up on his offer, but thankfully, he never did. Instead he trained with Kakashi and not only him, but also Anko and Itachi every now and then.

Hopefully, a temporary teammate wouldn't be necessary. Sasuke wouldn't be happy to hear that she would be going to base camp four without him. It seemed these next two weeks, Sakura was going to have to do a lot of digging to try and find whatever information she could.

Great.

"Yes, Tsunade-shishou. Is there anything else?"

"Actually, there is." Her tone took on a teasing note as Tsunade lifted a certain letter. "Since when were you and Uchiha Itachi pen pals?"

The smirk on her face made Sakura blush and she looked at the ground sheepishly. "You're not supposed to use those letters against people, Shishou."

"Oh, I know." The blonde shrugged and her smirk only widened when she continued to blush. "You're simply fun to tease. Almost as much as that Uchiha brat."

Sasuke. Tsunade enjoyed tormenting him, always saying crass things because, in her eyes, he was a prude. Sakura had to admit that it was pretty funny seeing him blush, as not a lot of people could make such a thing happen.

When it became obvious that Sakura was not going to reply, her shishou sighed. "Don't mention in your next letter that you will be going to base camp four, Sakura. If somebody gets their hands on that letter, then you will be putting the entire camp as well as your team at risk. Do you understand?" She nodded. "For now, I have sent Team Gai to base camp four. When they return and fill me in on the extent of how badly Shisui's eyes are damaged, I will make my decision. I would rather wait a month or two to give you the chance to try and get as much information and research as you possibly can, but we need Shisui and Itachi in top condition, Sakura. They are two of our most powerful shinobi. We cannot allow for either of them to lose their sharingan."

It was a scary thought knowing that it pretty much all depended on her to make sure she saved their sight. Tsunade couldn't go out to the borders not only because she needed to stay in the village in case of an attack, but it was also far too dangerous for her to go to the borders.

In the past month alone, there'd been way too many attempts on her shishou's life. So many had attempted to cross the borders with their missions to assassinate her, but they could never trace it back to the Tsuchikage and to accuse him of such a thing outright would cause _a lot_ of trouble.

"I'll speak with Sasuke-kun again and see if he can give me any information, but do I mention anything about Itachi-san and Shisui-san's eyes?"

For a moment, there was silence, telling her that Tsunade was thinking carefully about what to do and Sakura knew that, on one hand, telling Sasuke that his brother could lose his sight if she didn't get that information, _could_ save a lot of trouble of trying to persuade him. On the other hand, however, there was a chance that Itachi wouldn't want his family to know such a thing, or for _anybody_ to know such a thing. The fact that not only his eyes, but also Shisui's were deteriorating, meant that they now had a weakness. They probably had a couple that nobody knew about, but now this one was going to dominate all other weaknesses.

Unless Sakura could do her research, there was no doubt in either of their minds that both Uchiha would eventually go blind. Simply overusing the ordinary sharingan (or even the Byakugan) caused serious damage and burned out the eyes with chakra. What the hell sort of damage could the mangekyō do? She didn't want to know, but it was her job to find out. The village depended on her finding out.

She couldn't ask Itachi over their letters. Not only would he most likely ignore her for it, but if the letters got into the wrong hands, then they would have a serious problem. So that ruled out that possibility. There was only so much that Sasuke could tell Sakura and they couldn't risk having his clan class him as a traitor for handing over the already gathered research – it would crush Sasuke because his clan meant everything to him. Sakura wouldn't never consider doing something as risky as that.

"For now, work with whatever you have," Tsunade sighed as she rubbed her forehead. "I will summon Fugaku and make up a story about how many within his clan are losing their sight and unless we can continue with our research, they will continue to lose their sight until eventually, no Uchiha will be capable of seeing."

Sounded a little dramatic, Sakura thought with an inward grimace. Would Fugaku believe such a lie? "Perhaps you should say those with a more advanced sharingan, Tsunade-shishou," Sakura told her shishou honestly. "It will be hinting at Shisui-san and Itachi-san, but at the same time, also at himself." After all, Fugaku didn't become head of the clan from simply sitting on his ass all day. No he didn't possess the mangekyō, but his sharingan was still powerful and not to be underestimated.

"Very well." She nodded. "Now go and see what you can get out of that brat. Come back to me with your results and we'll work from there."


	4. You Don't Remember?

**Chapter 3**

**You Don't Remember?**

* * *

_Cherry-san,_

_The fact that Whiskers spills ramen on his reports does not surprise me. I cannot say that I am surprised by Dog, either. He has changed since the time we worked together._

_Perhaps it is because Dog is important to our village? He can't be of use if he is dead. The thought of Whiskers taking over is frightening._

_My mother is always showing off the family photographs to anybody who goes by the house. For some reason she believes that people visit because they want to see those pictures._

_Make sure you hold Taka to that promise. If you ask our father, he will most likely tell you no. However, if you look into eye techniques in the library within the district, I believe you will find something. Keep Taka by your side at all times if you go, for if anybody sees you, they will think that you are up to something. Considering the fact that his aren't as advanced as others, I doubt the damage will be permanent, but I am no doctor and I am also not there to examine them. I agree. It would not be easy telling him that he will never see again. He relies on his eyes as much as the rest of us._

_Yes. That is exactly why I continue to reply to your letters – I enjoy gossip. Also, by going into detail, you would not only put me in danger, but also my team and the rest of the camp. Be careful of what you say, but no, that does not include gossip. Lucky me._

_She is a very persistent woman, however, she has a big heart. Taka may be injured, but he should know not to take advantage of our mother – no matter how much of a mother's boy he is. Our mother will allow him to get away with it for a short while, though the moment she realises Taka can move around much more easily, he will be forced to fend for himself._

_I have heard all about your temper, Cherry-san, and I have to say, your latest record for the distance you have punched Whiskers across the village, is impressive._

_Habits are a hard thing to drop, but I suppose yours could be worse. Taka seems to have started adding the word "usuratonkachi" to the end of almost every sentence. I believe it has more to do with Whiskers rather than my brother calling everybody he encounters a moron. Like Taka, Whiskers also has a word he adds to his sentences. Do you?_

_People say that it is easier to write than to speak, so perhaps it is true._

_So she is a gossiper and can use mind techniques. I know exactly who your friend is already and I didn't even need to think about it. You call her Pig, don't you? The entire village knows of your rivalry and fights. Knowing exactly what people think of you is a tempting thought, but I would rather not. Sometimes it is easier to simply be the bigger person and get over your worry or paranoia. So no, I would not abuse the gift._

_I did not need the name "Cherry" to know who you are. You are the only one Taka would have write these letters. I agree that it is a simple codename, though._

_Aside from that one time where I opened the door to you, we have spoken twice before then, Cherry-san. I am not surprised that you do not remember as you were merely a child back then – around five or six, I would say. You had been separated from your parents during a festival and somehow managed to wander up to one of the training grounds, to the one where I was training at that moment in time. By the time you reached me, you were in tears and frightened because of the, if I recall correctly, "loud bangs". By "loud bangs", you meant fireworks._

_Whenever I tried to take you back to the festival, back to your parents, you would grow hysterical and the only thing that calmed you down was picking flowers. It was around four hours later that you fell asleep under a tree, allowing me to take you home. The next day, as a thank you for taking care of their daughter as they had been extremely distressed and worried, your parents invited me over for dinner and told me I should bring Taka, too. I believe that is where your crush for him started._

_No, I suppose none of us can risk falling ill. I will make sure my team are well-rested._

_Cherry-san, your entire team is made up of people who could be dying and would still try to tell you they do not need help. Perhaps not so much Whiskers, as he has always been quite dramatic and loud, but definitely Taka and Dog. On some level, even_ _you_ _have done such a thing._

_Despite his personality, Taka has always been energetic and obsessed with his training. I don't doubt that having to stay in bed all day is like torture to him._

_I enjoy receiving your letters. They are a nice change from the vague letters that seem as though a robot has written them._

_Crow_

* * *

"Robotic?" Sasuke scoffed. "He should be grateful I even write to him."

But Sakura wasn't focusing on Sasuke's annoyance, on the fact that he felt a little offended by what his older brother had said. Her mind was going into overdrive and excitement and adrenaline was coursing through her veins. Not long later, a gigantic grin was almost splitting her face in half.

"Sakura." His annoyance was even more obvious now and when he continued speaking, she discovered it was due to the fact he could sense her giddiness. "Just because Itachi said he enjoys your letters, it doesn't mean anything other than he likes the change. He would have said the same if it had been Naruto who was writing to him."

She frowned, her happiness fading. "What are you talking about?"

"The fact that you can't even sit still because my brother complimented you."

"Wait, what? You think–" Sakura cut herself off with laughter. "Sasuke-kun, I'm not excited about that. I mean, sure, it's nice that your brother has somewhat acknowledged me, but that's not why I'm so happy."

This time, it was Sasuke who was frowning. "Then why are you?"

"Weren't you listening?" she asked, her voice shaking with a mixture of different emotions. "He gave me permission to go into the Uchiha library so that I can help you!"

Despite his eyes being covered, Sakura knew that they would have been wide with shock. "W-What?"

"As long as I have you by my side to prove to the other members of your clan that I'm not going to try anything or that I'm not delving into forbidden jutsu, then I should be able to do some research. Don't you get it, Sasuke-kun? If I can get the right information, if I can learn how to protect your eyes, I might be able to help you."

It was an incredible display of trust, although Sakura pondered whether it was more to do with his want to protect his brother from blindness. After all, only Uchiha were given access to the library within the district (Kakashi was sometimes allowed entry, although was watched closely the entire time). It was filled with Uchiha Clan jutsu and the history of the Uchiha Clan. It was top secret, to the point where even the Hokage was not allowed to enter, unless she had permission from the head of the clan and the elders.

Part of her was worried about Itachi, though it was almost entirely overshadowed by her excitement of being able to help Sasuke. If her being there was traced back to the older brother, he would be in an unbelievable amount of trouble - possibly more so due to his being the clan heir. But, she knew that Itachi would already know the risks. He was willing to jeopardise so much for the sake of helping his little brother.

"What's the matter, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura frowned as she saw the expression on his face. It was close to how he looked when he was brooding, only it seemed a little sadder, yet weirdly warmer at the same time.

It was silent for a few moments as his head continued to stay tilted towards the bed, as though he was staring at it. "Is there really a chance that this could be permanent?"

The breath left her like she had been punched in the gut. Sasuke's voice sounded different. It was quieter, lower and there was a slight shake to it. If she didn't know any better, Sakura would have said that he sounded close to tears. She had only seen him that way once before and that had been when the Kyuubi had taken control of Naruto's body and began attacking the team. None of them had been prepared for it and Sakura had almost died during the attack as well as Kakashi. It had been up to Sasuke to stop Naruto. When she woke up a day later in the hospital with Naruto in the bed beside her and Kakashi on her other side, Sasuke had acted so out of character that she had been certain that she had died.

"Sasuke-kun, I–"

"Tell me the truth, Sakura."

His sharingan meant everything to him. Even Itachi had more or less admitted to that in his letter. It had taken the younger Uchiha brother so much longer to activate it and it was because of that that Sasuke treasured it. Maybe treasured was a strong word, but it was the truth.

"It… It could be," she whispered, her eyebrows knitting together as she fought back her tears. Witnessing his show of helplessness filled her with immense sorrow, made her desperately wish she could change the outcome for him. "I'm doing everything I can, but there's so much damage…" Sakura cleared her throat. "Tsunade-sama told me I need to do more research to be able to help you now." Maybe that was a small lie, but it wasn't entirely untrue. "She already taught me everything she knows about the sharingan. Your clan… They're so secretive about it, Sasuke-kun, so we can't do much without more research. She believes that… that those with more advanced, more powerful eyes, will all go blind if your father continues to deny us this information."

Realisation flooded his features. Well, it was more of a deadpan, she supposed. "Itachi's eyes. Shisui's."

"…Yeah."

Suddenly, he was facing her and his anger was obvious as his upper lip curled. His sudden one-eighty stunned her. "Is that why you're continuing with your letters to Itachi? Are you using him so you can do your research? There's a reason why my father is so protective of those scrolls, Sakura. They're clan secrets. Not Konoha's. They're _ours_."

"Shut up, will you?" Sakura yelled at him, displeased with his tone of voice. How could he even think so lowly of her? All she had ever tried to do was help him. "I'm not using Itachi-san. I started writing to him because _you asked me to_. You're making it sound as though I'm sleeping with him or seducing him for the information. I'm only trying to help you, Sasuke-kun. If you don't want my help, then tell me. I already know how much trouble I can get into for entering your clan's library and to help not only you, but every other Uchiha who is suffering with the same problem, I'm willing to risk it. Apparently, so is your brother. He knows just how serious this is."

"Sakura–" A knock on his bedroom door cut him off and both fell deadly silent before Sasuke spoke up, "Come in."

The door opened slowly and once it was fully opened, Sakura tensed ever so slightly when Mikoto entered. Her features were blank, her stance strong. Shit. She had on her matriarch expression (which was how Sakura and Naruto knew not to get on her wrong side). The woman looked serious as she shut the door behind herself and stepped fully into the room.

"I couldn't help but overhear your disagreement," she stated and Sakura was biting the inside of her cheek. Saying that it was a disagreement would be a bit of an understatement. Mikoto regarded her son for a few moments before she glanced over at Sakura, who tensed in response. "Was everything you just said true?"

There was no use in trying make it seem any less than what it was, was there? If anything, Mikoto could be of use to them. So, she nodded. "Tsunade-sama believes that those who use their sharingan as much as Sasuke-kun does, or who have more advanced eyes like Itachi-san and Shisui-san do, will go blind. It's not a possibility, it's a fact. It's true that Sasuke-kun shouldn't be having a problem with his eyes from overusing them, but the fact that he is means that we truly don't know anything about the sharingan." Sakura frowned, trying to ignore the curling unease in the pit of her stomach. "Mikoto-san, how are we supposed to treat your clan if we don't know anything about you? Medics… All we want to do is help. It's our ninja way. We don't want to steal or use the information we learn against you and if you allow me do this research, I swear, I will run everything by you first. You can order somebody in your clan to watch over me. Just please let me help. Our village needs the Uchiha Clan. _Naruto_ needs this clan. Sasuke-kun is the only one who can truly get through to him and suppress the Kyuubi without anybody getting hurt."

"Mother," Sasuke spoke up, much to their surprise. "She's right. I understand that these are clan secrets, but Sakura's a medic. She's _my_ medic. I'll take full responsibility. Our clan needs Itachi and Shisui and you know that. Itachi is the clan heir. If anything happens to him, then I'll become clan heir. How can I do that if I'm blind?"

There was silence for a moment as Mikoto continued to watch them both. "I thought that Naruto-kun was in the process of learning how to control the Kyuubi's power?"

"He is, which means he needs my eyes now more than ever," Sasuke told her seriously, his head tilted in the direction his mother's voice was coming from. "The seal is getting weaker and weaker, Mother, meaning that soon, the Kyuubi will break free. I won't allow my teammate to die, no matter how much of an idiot he is."

"Your father will never agree to this." She sighed, her blank expression never faltering for a second. "Sasuke, you will not be the one to take responsibility if this information gets out." There was a pause and Sakura felt herself holding her breath. "I will. And so will Itachi. As matriarch of the clan, it is my duty to do whatever I must to protect every Uchiha belonging to our clan. Not only is it my duty, but it is also Itachi's, since he is the heir to the clan. Sakura-san, Sasuke will accompany you and you are to tell him everything that you are looking into. You have my trust. Do not make me regret giving it to you."

And just like that, before she or Sasuke could say a word, Mikoto left.

Sakura released a shaky sigh of relief.

God, that woman could be terrifying at times.

It was silent for a short while until Sasuke spoke up, saying, "You already know that you have my trust, but I also know that you're eager to help out in whatever way you can. You've always gone out of your way for everyone, even if it means putting yourself in danger." Turning his head to the side, he faced her direction with the help of her movements and breathing. "Don't look any further into my clan than you need to, Sakura."

Her eyes widened, heart clenching tightly in her chest. "Are… Are you _threatening_ me, Sasuke?"

He shook his head. "If you betray my mother's trust, my father will have your head. I am simply warning you not to get ahead of yourself."

* * *

Sasuke's 'warning' kept replaying in her mind over and over again. At one point, she had even had a nightmare where Fugaku had been chasing her around the village (somehow, he had gotten a hold of Zabuza's executioner's blade), attempting to cut off her head. It was so bizarre. And then acting like everything was normal, Sakura joined the Uchiha family for breakfast. She stayed close to Sasuke's side, acting as his eyes while sitting across from none other than Uchiha Fugaku.

Was it just her, or did he look a little bloodthirsty?

Inwardly, Sakura shook her head. That was what happened when somebody didn't get the correct amount of sleep and continued to work their ass off. If she wasn't at the hospital, then she was in the Uchiha library and if she wasn't there, then she was acting as Sasuke's guide.

Most of his injuries were now completely healed, the only thing left to heal being his eyes. It was because of that, that Sakura had suggested Sasuke got out of the house at least once a day for two hours. No training (unless he seriously felt up to it and wanted to risk attempting it without his sight), just simply strolling down the streets of their village. To stop any embarrassing or humiliating moments for him (he would kill her for allowing them to happen), she had to keep her arm looped through his, murmuring to him when they would be going up or down steps or when there was anything that could trip him in front of them. Sakura could tell that Sasuke didn't enjoy having to rely on her so much, but she could also tell that he was grateful for her support. At least that way, he got to leave his bedroom without making a fool of himself because he tripped up or something of the sort.

"Did you sleep well, Sasuke, Sakura-san?" Mikoto asked as she placed their breakfasts in front of them.

After taking his hand and handing him his chopsticks, Sakura moved his hands until they were hovering over his food. She knew he could do the rest by himself and before digging in, he grunted in reply to his mother.

"I did, thank you, Mikoto-san." That was a lie, unless being chased around the village by her apparently psychotic, bloodthirsty husband could count as a good dream. "And yourself?"

Tsunade had already spoken with Fugaku, as had Mikoto. He wasn't happy about it, but once finding out that quite a few Uchiha, including himself, would eventually lose their sight, he reluctantly agreed. Like Sasuke the other night, his mind had also snapped straight to his eldest son, leading him to question their Hokage on his status. Itachi's eyes were much more powerful than even his own and as clan heir, he _needed_ those eyes, his sight.

"Oh, I slept well," she replied as she sat down beside her husband. "Thank you."

Breakfast was silent, like it always was. It was one of the things Sakura disliked about staying in the Uchiha home. It was always so stiff, so proper and traditional. Don't get her wrong, because Mikoto could be a gentle and warm person, but with everything going on, it was understandable why she was more reserved than usual. Really, Sakura wasn't sure what it was. It wasn't that Sasuke's parents didn't like her, otherwise they would have never opened their home to her (even if it was for the benefit of their son). They were all distant and aloof and nothing like her own parents, who would laugh and joke and argue over breakfast or any other meal. It made their home seem more alive. Inwardly, Sakura made a note to herself to never allow her family meals to be like the Uchiha meals. She wanted her future children to be comfortable around her and their father.

After thanking Mikoto for breakfast and helping her clean the dishes, Sakura looped her arm through Sasuke's and guided him out of the home. It made him a little uncomfortable leaving his home with bandages over his eyes, but reminding himself that the damage was most likely not permanent helped a lot. Even if his clansmen _did_ stare at him like he was a fool for getting into such a sorry state.

"We're leaving the district."

"Yeah," she replied after a moment. "I thought it'd be best to visit Naruto today. We haven't visited him for a while."

"Sakura–"

"He won't make any jokes and if he does, I'll pummel him."

Sasuke smirked. "Hn."

When they didn't find Naruto in his apartment, they went to the next most likely place he would be: Ichiraku's. Only, he wasn't there either. While Sasuke growled with annoyance (feeling _a lot_ of stares on him), Sakura rolled her eyes, dragging him towards the training fields. The paths were a little bumpy and uneven but due to having walked them so many times, Sasuke didn't even need his sight to know where to step and where not to step.

Luckily for them, that time, they found Naruto. He was training by himself, but lately, that wasn't too surprising. Everybody else who could spar evenly with him were away on missions or at the border and for now, Sasuke was not capable of sparring to the best of his ability, meaning he wasn't a challenge. And Sakura knew she would never be able to evenly spar with Naruto, but that no longer bothered her. She was a medic and where would the others be without medics? They depended on her just as much as she depended on them.

Naruto's head snapped up as they entered the clearing, but the moment he saw Sasuke's eyes, he winced, making Sakura narrow her eyes warningly. Due to him currently being in sage mode (something he had learned while training with Jiraiya at Mount Myōboku), he could sense chakra, meaning he could also pick up on leftover chakra or, what he was currently sensing, chakra burns.

"Wow. You really messed your eyes up, didn't you?"

Against her arm, Sasuke's fist clenched, much like the other. "Shut up, idiot. It's your fault."

Oh no…

"My fault? I never asked you to get involved! I had everything under control."

Sakura sighed. She should have known they'd start arguing.

"Oh? And the Kyuubi was supposed to make an appearance, was it? You're lucky I managed to suppress its power – you were losing control _again_!"

That was low, Sakura thought.

Naruto looked angered and his voice was a low growl when he spoke again. "You know why that happened," he spat. "I was in the middle of training when we were given that mission. The seal was at its weakest."

"As was I," Sasuke retorted. "Because of your training, because of being _your watcher_ , I have to be prepared for anything. I have to be there to suppress the Kyuubi's power and stop you from going on a rampage."

It wasn't uncommon for her patients to lash out, to blame others for the state they were in, but Sakura couldn't help but think it was uncalled for. They didn't come to blame Naruto for the damage done to Sasuke's eyes. She'd wanted to visit him because they hadn't in a couple of weeks. He'd been busy with his training, whereas she had been busy looking after Sasuke, who had been unable to leave his home until a week ago.

"Stop arguing." Sakura sighed, hoping they would actually listen to her for once. "And stop picking at each other. It's so tiring." Pulling Sasuke forward, she made her way over to Naruto. "We came by to see you, not attack you." Sasuke's head tilted to the side and she knew he would have been giving her a blank look, had the bandages not been in the way. She pretended not to see it, much to Naruto's amusement. "You haven't been by, we missed you."

That seemed to cheer the blond up as he grinned at her. "Baa-chan gave me a solo mission to Suna. Well, it was more like training. Gaara helped me out a bit, giving me advice on how to control the Kyuubi."

"Did it work?" Sasuke asked, but she could tell he was still annoyed with Naruto.

He grimaced. "Not entirely. I mean, the things he told me have helped me out, but even Gaara admitted that our beasts are too different."

"I guess that's kind of true," Sakura murmured as they sat down on the grass together. "I mean, Shukaku's… He still doesn't allow Gaara to sleep, does he?" Naruto shook his head, seeming to feel sorry for his friend. In a way, so did Sakura. It had to be torture being unable to sleep, but did it grow easier over time? Or did it constantly wear him down like she knew it tended to from time to time? "And from what I heard, your beast is much stronger than Gaara's." For a moment, she was in deep thought. "Hey, Shukaku is the Ichibi's name, right?"

"Yes," the Uchiha answered.

"So does that mean the Kyuubi has a name, too?"

"Everything has a name. It doesn't matter if it's a beast or an inanimate object."

Naruto nodded, seeming unsure. "I asked him, but he never tells me."

Glancing down at her hands, Sakura frowned. "…Maybe he's lonely?"

Silence.

"Sakura…"

"You don't feel sorry for the Kyuubi, do you?" Naruto demanded.

She shook her head quickly, glaring at him. "Not entirely, no. But yes, a part of me feels sorry for him. It's the medic in me, Naruto. I feel sorry for a lot of people and animals. It's just who I am."

"You're sentimental," Sasuke told her with a shake of his head, but then he seemed to ponder that thought. "It could be true, though. Perhaps the Kyuubi is lonely. After all, when was the last time it was truly free? Not that _that_ would help with its loneliness, but I can't imagine being locked away inside of somebody's body. To make it worse, it's _yours_. The Kyuubi has probably already lost its mind from having to share a body with you."

Instead of growing angry, Naruto burst into laughter. "He usually doesn't like you, but he's agreeing with you – wait! Oi, teme! Who the hell do you think you are? I didn't exactly have a choice, you know. This is supposed to be _my body_ , and I can't even kick him out. And his way of 'paying rent' involves taking over my body and causing pain and destruction."

Sometimes, Sakura was so tempted to check her best friend out for mental illnesses or instabilities (her findings would no doubt be interesting), but right at the last moment, she would refrain from doing so. So what if his mood swings gave quite a few people whiplash? So what if others didn't get his personality? Naruto was happy. No, he didn't enjoy having the Kyuubi reside within him (at least not as far as she was aware of), but other than the obvious problems that were caused, he was happy. How many other jinchūriki could say the same? Gaara sure as hell couldn't before he changed. He had been downright miserable underneath all of that anger and hatred.

Even now, Shukaku still caused him problems and people kept their distance from him. Despite their differences in the past, even Sasuke acted somewhat friendly towards the redhead and by friendly, Sakura meant that he didn't glare at him or release any killing intent. And underneath his cold, distant exterior, Gaara was actually quite a decent guy. His humour was a little twisted and due to Shukaku having a ridiculously high sex drive, Gaara also had a perverted mind (only secretly, for he would never reveal such a weakness). Other than that though, he was a great friend and somebody who one could truly rely on.

Two years ago, she had been his first kiss.

Her team had been over in Suna for Christmas on a mission, so they spent the holidays with the Sand Siblings. She hadn't expected it to be, but it had been great fun. For the first time, around others, the siblings had seemed like a real family as they opened their home to them, allowing them to partake in their festivities, exchanging gifts, eating the feast that greeted them at dinner. Then a snickering Naruto had appeared out of nowhere, holding a mistletoe between the two of them (her and Gaara, of course) and when he merely stood there, seemingly too stunned to do anything, Sakura had rolled her eyes and used her chakra to drag him to her by his collar, planting a sweet and chaste kiss on his lips. He had been wearing his sand armour, but not even a second after he realised Sakura had no killing intent, it slipped away from his lips unsurely, wanting to feel her soft lips moving against his own.

Sakura would not deny that things had heated up _dramatically_ the moment they were alone, but they had both known that no real relationship would ever grow between them. It had been lust more than anything and even though people were always moaning and bitching about their ex, saying how they regretted ever being with them, it was never that way between them, much to her happiness. Sure, Gaara was more protective of her now, but it was in a friendship way. There had definitely been heat between them (as he had made her feel things she had no idea she could feel), but they simply couldn't fall in love with one another. It was sad, but it had been best that they figured it out sooner rather than later.

People often thought that a girl like her _had_ to be a blushing virgin, she just _had_ to be all innocent and completely oblivious to the sexual world. For crying out loud, Hatake Kakashi had been her sensei. The guy walked around with his smut right in his face, so of course she had gotten her hands on it once or twice when he was unconscious and she was supposed to be watching him. It seemed he knew she had read it though, because when he woke up and reached for his book, he had smirked at the blush on her cheeks and muttered a, " _See? It's not so bad_."

Anyway! She had been thinking about the intimate, short relationship between her and Gaara. No he had not been her first kiss, but he had taken her virginity. Actually, she gave it to him. Willingly. There was no fear that Shukaku may suddenly pop out to surprise her (there never had been on the many times they had been together), as Gaara had him completely under control now. It also seemed to make him happy to have her trust him so much and it was because of that trust that their friendship had blossomed into something she wouldn't give up for anything. It was different than her friendship with Naruto. Kind of similar to the one with Sasuke, but not enough to make it identical.

Nobody knew of that relationship. Of course it had been rumoured, since Gaara wasn't one to hang around with females unless it was his sister, but they never commented on it to anyone. It was _theirs_. After only six months, however, and they decided to end things. Not because they were bored (the heat had still been there), but because it wasn't fair to continue seeing each other when neither of them were in love. They loved each other, but they weren't _in love_. Those were two completely different things (and explaining that to Gaara had been so frustratingly heart-breaking). She loved her boys (even Kakashi), but she wasn't _in_ love with them.

Sakura wasn't sure if she had ever truly been in love before and that was what told her that no, she had not. It was kind of sad, really, but she accepted it. Not every shinobi got to experience things such as that. Some died just as their love was beginning. All she had ever felt before was a–

Wait.

Something suddenly slammed into her like a punch to the face.

' _The next day, as a thank you for taking care of their daughter as they had been extremely distressed and worried, your parents invited me over for dinner and told me I should bring Taka, too. I believe that is where your crush for him started._ '

Even _Uchiha freaking Itachi_ , the man who preferred to keep to himself and not get involved with pointless gossip, had known of her crush on Sasuke. And since he was not one to bring up unnecessary things, he was most likely teasing her about it.

How embarrassing.

Sakura groaned and dropped her head into her hands.


	5. They Have Needs

**Chapter 4**

**They Have Needs**

* * *

_Crow-san,_

_I hope you know how lucky you are. If you hadn't been all the way over there and was in fact right next to me, I'd be punching_ _you_ _across the village and breaking my latest record! Bringing up that silly crush. Seriously? I was twelve years old. Yes, I'm aware it went on a little longer than that, but it couldn't have been that bad._

_Actually, ignore that last sentence. I know how bad it was._

_I never knew that you and Dog worked together. But I don't know why I'm so surprised – you'd be unstoppable! Then again, the balance wouldn't be very even, would it? For us, Whiskers (at first) had no talent at all. Taka was the strongest. I was the smartest. We balanced each other out. Adding Dog to your team, or you to his, wouldn't be very fair to others, would it?_

_Hm. I suppose Dog is important to our village and believe me, I already know of that fear. One time, I had a dream where Whiskers had taken over the village and he made every day "ramen day". I couldn't eat the stuff for about a month. Just the smell made me feel sick._

_I can't say my parents are any different, although it's more my father than my mother who shows off the photographs._

_You have my word as a medic that I will not allow Taka to cause any further damage._

_There is good news, though. Your mother heard us arguing and demanded to know what happened and why we were having an argument in the first place. According to her, you, in your own way, gave me permission to help him by going to your library and just in case, your mother has also given me permission. I'm certain I can heal him now, Crow-san! Thank you so much._

_Taka rarely leaves my side at the moment and I can tell it's angering him as the days are passing. He hates having to rely on others, but I think he's glad it's me and not somebody else. I'm his personal medic, apparently. According to Shishou, he requested me specifically. I can't even deny that I'm shocked by that._

_Are you being sarcastic, Crow-san?_ _If not, then you're going to want to hear this: a certain heiress with long, dark hair, is working up the courage to finally ask out a certain idiot with blond hair. Can you guess who I'm on about? If not, just think about the most unhealthy obsession you can think of and then his own fan._

_Wait. That sounds so harsh. It's not that I think of her as an annoying fan-girl or anything, because Lavender (as I have dubbed her, because she always smells like them) is sweet. But it's the truth, isn't it? While every other girl was obsessing over Taka, she obsessed over him. Must be love, though, because back during the Academy, I was ready to throttle him every damn day. I'm used to his personality now, however. It comforts me, in a way. Is that strange?_

_Yes, your mother has already started forcing Taka to do things for himself, but she does let him off every now and then considering he can't prepare his own food or things such as that. I try to tell her to take a break, that I will take care of him because I'm the one who is his medic, after all, but I think she enjoys looking after him. It's in her eyes._

_Shannaro! That's my word. I don't even know why I started yelling that. It's like it simply slips out when I'm seriously angry. Don't even get me started on Taka and his "usuratonkachi". He called_ _me_ _one the other day. Even with his bandages covering a good amount of it, I like to think it was a look of fear on his face when he realised just who the hell he called a moron. Like you said, it's a habit. He's used to adding it to pretty much all of his sentences now because of Whiskers. What about yourself? Do you have a word?_

_I believe it is easier to write than to speak. I mean, I don't think I'd be able to say half of these things to you in person. No, I'm not an incredibly shy girl, but I have my moments._

_Don't let Pig hear you say that. She'd be heartbroken if the, in her eyes, "biggest heartthrob and most eligible bachelor" in our village called her a pig. I don't mind though, so you can continue calling her that. In fact, I kind of like it. She is now and forever dubbed as 'Pig' in our letters._

_That sounds so creepy now that I'm reading it back. I don't mean that I_ _enjoy_ _you calling her a pig, like some sort of pervert but I–_

_Just ignore that part of my letter, okay? Crossing it out would simply make it look messy and already I'm intimidated by your fancy writing._

_I agree with me being the only one Taka would ask to write to you and read your letters. I don't need to go over the fact that our third teammate is Whiskers, right? Honestly, I thought your name would be different, something closer to your actual name, but I prefer Crow, now that I think about it. It suits you._

_That is embarrassing. Did I seriously do that? You must have been so frustrated with me! And I know for a fact that my parents can be overbearing and intense. I'd never really enjoyed fireworks, in all honesty. Well, as a child I didn't. I love them now. I like all the colours and shapes they can create. Even though this was clearly well over ten years ago, when you return, we should go to the festival together and I'll make it up to you! Damn. I must have ruined your night._

_Hang on a second. Training? During a festival? Does that mean you've never been to one?_ _I'm definitely taking you now!_

_We really can't risk any of you getting sick. Not only because we need you, but because you are all people too! Don't push yourselves too hard and please take care._

_I refuse to comment on your statement about pushing aside my injuries for my team._

_Okay, what the hell? I'm nowhere near as bad as those three idiots! I'm a medic, so I can get away with it because I know I can heal myself. Those three can't! Oh they make me so angry sometimes. Ever wanted to just smash their heads together? I do._ _All the time_ _._

_Yes, I've noticed that. He's no Whiskers, but Taka definitely has a lot of energy._

_Thanks! I enjoy your letters too. I know what you mean about it being a nice change, as lately, my schedule is so routine and boring. Wake up, help Taka, hospital shift, return to help Taka some more, library, help Taka again, and then sleep. I'm not complaining, though. I like being useful. It's a nice feeling._

_Cherry._

* * *

Glancing up from his most recent letter, Itachi allowed a smirk to grace his lips.

He knew how strange it was for him to continue exchanging letters with a jōnin kunoichi – one who was not connected to him in any way, of course. If the look the brunette kunoichi (Tenten, he believed her name to be) meant anything, it definitely was strange.

It hadn't even been a week since Team Gai's arrival, but none of them could deny that having Rock Lee around was exhausting. Though, saying that, Itachi couldn't deny that it was good to have a change up from his usual routine. He had even sparred with him at some point during the week, much to Lee's surprise – and delight. Was it weird that Itachi felt glad that shinobi, despite not being able to use ninjutsu, were not growing as weak as others made them seem? Even though he couldn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu and relied completely on taijutsu, Lee was a formidable opponent. He wouldn't make it to ANBU with just taijutsu, but he definitely deserved his jōnin rank.

While they'd seen plenty of Rock Lee, a certain Hyuuga was keeping his brown haired fiancée away from the rest of them, but that didn't surprise Itachi in the least. They had all been stuck there for over seven months now, give or take a week or two as the only rare break every couple of months. He was simply thankful that Neji didn't clump him or Shisui with the rest of the males on camp. They were like starving dogs. One kunoichi arrived and it was like they had never seen a woman before. Pitiful.

In a way, Itachi felt sorry for Tenten. She had to put up with all the heated gazes, the hungry eyes dragging up and down her body. He knew it made her uncomfortable having such attention because she began wearing even baggier clothing, drowning her figure completely. It made him shake his head with disgust. Women should not have to feel as though they needed to cover up because men couldn't control themselves. Had those men no shame? Most of them had lovers back at home, they were _married_ and had _children._

But then again, they had been there for well over seven months and some of them were like Itachi – never returning to the village. His skills were needed way too much out there, as were Shisui's and Tenzo's as well as several others, so they _had_ to stay at base camp four unless they were running the perimeter. Itachi would not deny that even he had felt that certain need for human contact, for soft, feminine skin against his own. _To feel_ _human_ again. Like an ordinary man. However, he did not show it. To show such a thing was weakness and that was not acceptable out at the border. And neither was making your comrade feel as though they were about to be eaten alive.

Neji did not appreciate any of those glances and just the narrowing of his pale eyes had the other men backing away, since they all knew he was the prodigy of the Hyuuga clan and was not against showing it. It seemed Rock Lee also picked up on the tension in the camp, because whenever Neji wasn't close to Tenten, he was. It was as though they were guarding her and while Itachi wasn't saying or presuming that some of the men there would force themselves on her, he was glad that they had their guards up. Being out there for so long with the only human contact being fighting or talking amongst themselves, could do strange things to a person. It picked at them. Humans were sociable creatures, after all.

Refolding the letter from Sakura, Itachi slipped it back into its envelope and placed it at the back of the pile, which was in the order of date. Those at the back were the most recent ones.

"You know," an amused voice spoke from the doorway of his cabin. "The guys are going to start thinking she's your lover."

He sat up straight, closing the lid over the box filled with letters. "I save every letter I receive, Shisui. You are aware of this."

"Of course I am." The older Uchiha chuckled as he stepped further into the room and sat down at the small table near the door. "But they're not."

His cabin was basic, but due to him being a captain, Itachi had certain privileges that the others did not. For example, his cabin was larger. It was just as basic as the rest of them, but he definitely had more space and did not need to share. Despite this, Shisui was currently staying in his cabin because he shared one with Neji. There was no telling how long his fiancée would be there for and despite them needing to be on guard, Itachi had decided to have a moment of sentimentality and allow them some privacy. Neji was grateful for it and it showed in the way he smiled at him. Not a smirk and not a simple nod, but a genuine smile. There was no need for that, really. The Hyuuga was reliable and Itachi knew that, despite having his woman with him, he would still be on high alert. If anything, his guards would be even higher just to protect Tenten. Precious people were motivation.

It had to be difficult leaving your other half back in the village. Luckily for him, he didn't have one. Honestly? Itachi couldn't see himself settling down, no matter what his clan or his father said. His village needed him too much to do such a selfish thing. But was it really selfish? Most shinobi did not live to see their twenty-first birthday, so never had the chance to marry their other half and have many children together. No, Itachi supposed, it was not entirely selfish, but still, his village needed him too much.

"All they see is letter after letter, where the scent of them are so very obviously female, being sent to you."

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "Somebody has been _sniffing_ my mail?"

Shisui burst into laughter and it took him a moment to settle down. "No, not at all. When they're passing by, though, the scent is obvious and not even you can deny that. Smells like… fresh apples mixed with something else, but I can never be too sure. It's always a little different every week." A knowing smirk pulled at his lips. "And I know for a fact that little Sasuke-chan's teammate uses that apple scented shampoo, as whenever I walked by her back at home, she always carried that scent with her."

Many had no idea how observant Shisui truly was. He was a genius in his own right, but because of Itachi being the 'prodigy of the Uchiha clan', he often got overlooked. That wasn't fair, in Itachi's honest opinion. Yes, his father had trained him a lot while growing up, but so had Shisui. They had always been sparring partners, best friends. When he awakened the mangekyō with unusual circumstances (no precious person had died), who had been there, guiding him and telling him where to find more information? Shisui.

His mangekyō was a rarity. Somehow, during Orochimaru's invasion, the mere thought of his younger brother (his so very innocent younger brother who wanted nothing more than to surpass him and impress their father) going with the sannin had caused him great distress and that distress only multiplied when he discovered Orochimaru had marked Sasuke with a cursed seal. Oh it had made him so incredibly angry and for the first time in a long time, Itachi _wanted_ to kill. That anger had morphed his sharingan, morphed him, into something entirely new. After defeating Orochimaru, Shisui had helped him with extracting the cursed seal from Sasuke's body. It had taken a while and until Itachi had been capable of doing so, Shisui had had to use his mind controlling technique once they discovered Sasuke planned on leaving (tricking him into believing he wanted a former student of Orochimaru's to train him), but they eventually did it.

There was a minute or two of silence and during that silence, Itachi sat down in the chair opposite of Shisui.

"How's Sasuke, then?" Itachi sighed in response. "That bad?"

Nodding, he gave Shisui a serious look, not hiding his worry from him. "At first, Sakura-san believed that the damage could be permanent, but thankfully with her most recent research on the sharingan, she has discovered that his eyes will heal, but it will take some time."

"And Sasuke has to rely completely on her." Again, he nodded. "Bet he's hating that. You're brother is much too proud."

"No. I don't think he minds too much," he argued softly. "I will admit that Sasuke's pride is large, but it is also fragile. To save himself humiliation, he will get used to having Sakura-san by his side and guiding him until he can see again."

Once again, there was a moment of silence until his friend spoke up, asking, "So he can't see at all?"

"No."

He lowered his head and took a deep breath and Itachi knew that he would be genuinely feeling for his little brother. Like them, Sasuke relied completely on his sharingan. "To make things worse, he is Naruto-kun's watcher," Shisui thought aloud. "Considering we are not in the village right now, there is no backup plan. Naruto-kun _needs_ Sasuke's eyes if the Kyuubi tries to break free of its seal."

Itachi shook his head in disagreement. "I believe Naruto-kun will be smart enough not to continue his training until Sasuke will be able to help him. It is already risky having him learn to wield the Kyuubi's power while so close to the village and Naruto-kun knows this. No doubt another member of our clan will currently be watching over him."

"They won't be any good in taming the Kyuubi. You need eyes like ours, genes like Tenzo-san's or a bond like theirs. You know this as well as I do."

"Perhaps. But having some eyes are better than having none."

"You have a point there," Shisui agreed with a shrug. "There is no use in worrying, though. We all know that Jiraiya-sama, despite what the boy thinks, watches him from afar. He will not allow anything to happen to Naruto-kun, or the village. Perhaps they'll even go through with their previous plan of contacting the Raikage and using that remote island where the Hachibi's jinchūriki learned to control his beast."

That did sound possible, but knowing Tsunade, she would not risk sending him away as of yet. She would wait for more information first, would wait to hear back from them and–

"She plans on sending him here."

Shisui frowned in confusion. "What makes you think that?"

"Think about it," he told the older Uchiha. "Sasuke's eyes are deteriorating from overusing them, despite only being the regular sharingan. Our eyes are much more advanced than his. At this moment in time, Sakura-san is researching the sharingan in our clan's library-" Itachi ignored Shisui's stunned expression, as he knew how secretive their clan was. "-and is aware of the fact that our eyes are used much more than Sasuke's, putting us at a higher risk of losing our sight. Hokage-sama also knows this, as she recently asked for an update. I have no doubt that once Sakura-san has finished gathering her research and repaired what she can of Sasuke's eyes, Team Seven will be sent here, so that she can examine ours."

"Which is why Lee-san and Tenten-san have been sent to us," Shisui stated flatly, his realisation causing him to deflate in his chair. "They came to examine our eyes from a distance. It would explain why Rock Lee was so adamant about our spar. He kept saying how my sharingan was much too powerful for him to keep up with, making the spar unfair. I thought at the time that it was strange since he's almost exactly like Gai-san, and would relish the challenge of a stronger opponent."

Closing his eyes, Itachi sat back in his chair, forcing himself to relax as he sighed. They should not be so surprised. "Our village needs us." Even he was unsure whether he was speaking to himself or to Shisui, but his friend no doubt listened anyway. "To aid us in protecting them, they will take care of us in any way possible. Hokage-sama will no doubt have Sakura-san check over Neji-san's eyes also, when she arrives."

He nodded. "And despite his not being here, somehow, she'll have Kakashi-san dragged over to our camp to also examine his eye."

A smirk pulled at Itachi's lips. "I don't doubt that she will."

In all honesty, Itachi found himself quite looking forward to seeing his younger brother again. That was, of course, if his eyes were healed by the time Team Seven were sent out. Itachi hoped so. It would be nice to see his brother again. Perhaps a sparring session was in order, as it had been over seven months and he wanted to see how much Sasuke had grown in skill.

They heard rumours from those passing through quite often. Apparently, his younger brother's team was in high demand and almost as infamous as Itachi and Shisui's tag team. It made him feel proud of Sasuke, yet proud of the other two, as well. He was aware of how much struggle Naruto had gone through to earn the respect he had today and he wasn't the only one who had struggled. Sakura had also had her fair share of torment, from what he had heard. She was always being underestimated, being pushed to the sidelines. However, Sakura forced herself to grow stronger and was now one of the strongest kunoichi of her generation in their village. With more experience and more training, Itachi knew that she would no doubt surpass Tsunade and take that title as _the_ most powerful kunoichi.

"She wishes to punch me across the village," Itachi suddenly told Shisui, earning him a raised eyebrow. Languidly, the younger Uchiha opened his eyes and regarded the man opposite him for a moment, before another smirk graced his lips. "Sakura-san. In her most recent letter, she opened it up with, ' _I hope you know how lucky you are. If you hadn't been all the way over there and was in fact right next to me, I'd be punching_ you _across the village and breaking my latest record'."_

Like earlier, Shisui burst into laughter. "That would be hilarious to see. What did you say to her?"

His smirk widened for a moment before it simmered down. "I may have brought up her crush on Sasuke."

"You teased her."

At his Shisui's deadpan, Itachi nodded, once again making him laugh.

"At least she's seeing, or reading, that you're just as human as the rest of us." He smirked teasingly. "In your next letter, you should bring up her relationship with none other than the Kazekage."

No matter how hard he tried to hide his shock, it still showed.

The Kazekage? And Sakura?

"She likes powerful men," Shisui told him with a knowing look. "Think she'll like me?"

"Do not turn into those panting, slobbering dogs out there, Shisui," there was a seriousness in Itachi's voice as he spoke, a warning. "It is bad enough that they cannot control themselves. I do not need you, of all people, to suddenly become hormone crazed. If she is involved with the Kazekage, you cannot touch her."

Much to his surprise, Shisui was once again smirking. "Protective, aren't you? Anyway, according to the rumours, they broke up a while back. I believe it was Yamanaka-san who started all of those rumours and we know that, as Sakura-san's best friend, she is our most reliable source." Itachi deadpanned. Were they really _gossiping_? Were they honestly that bored? "Personally, I believe it was more of an experience-relationship rather than a love-relationship. I've seen them together a couple of times around the village when the Kazekage came by to visit, you know? It's obvious they weren't in love."

Each to their own, Itachi supposed. At one point in their lives, everybody experimented. He was merely surprised by Sakura's choice, for Sabaku no Gaara was most definitely someone he had definitely never expected. He wasn't one to listen to gossip, so never took any notice in the latest rumours.

In his honest opinion, it wasn't all too surprising that Sakura was no virgin – it was in the way she held herself. No, Itachi wasn't calling her a whore, but even he had noticed her sensuality. The way her hips swayed as she walked, how just a simple running a hand through her hair seemed like the most–

What was happening to his thoughts?

Itachi had to refrain from rubbing his eyes. He was not a virgin and just like everybody else, he had needs and urges. However, he never gave into those urges. His body was weapon, whether that was through battle or seduction. When (or if) he was ready he would settle down and give his wife his body, but until then, he did not sleep around like so many other men. He did what he had to for the sake of a mission or for his village. That was all.

"If she comes here, it's going to be far worse for her than it is for Tenten-san," Shisui stated seriously, his eyes narrowing a fraction. "You _are_ aware of that, right?"

Indeed he was. Like he had thought only moments before, Sakura was sensual and graceful in her movements, whereas Tenten was more reserved. Also unlike Tenten, Sakura did not have a lover (as far as he was aware of) and she wore much more revealing clothing. Itachi was not saying that she had to cover up (because women should be able to wear what they liked without having to worry about men being unable to control themselves), but they had to accept the truth and that was that, right now, the men were barely controlling themselves over _Tenten_ and while he did not mean it in an offensive way, she was not much to look at. Yes, she had nice eyes, but she kept her figure drowned in clothing like a wife would. Considering she was going to marry Hyuuga Neji, however, that wasn't surprising.

Sakura was going to have a much more difficult time keeping the other men off her. They weren't rapists, but they were men who had been starved of the luxury of having a woman's body against their own, moving with theirs.

"Her teammates would not allow anything to happen. You have seen and heard of how protective Team Seven are of one another."

"I suppose," he agreed. "But we should stick close to her just in case. Many of the men here could overpower her if she comes to us weakened. Since Sakura-san will be healing our injuries and examining our eyes, she _will_ be weakened, which means no monstrous strength, which also means no way to protect herself."

"Once Sasuke or Naruto-kun notice the looks she will receive, they will stay by her side and protect her. Neji-san, Lee-san, Tenzo-senpai and Sai-san will also be here and they will not allow anything to happen to her. If not, I am sure that I can trust you in doing the job."

The older Uchiha nodded once and a devilish smirk lifted his lips. "I'm sure she'd rather have _you_ protecting her, though."

Itachi rolled his eyes and sighed. "You are thinking with the wrong head, Shisui."

"You can't say that you haven't thought about her like that." He shrugged, not at all shocked by Itachi's blunt words. He knew things about him that would shock anyone else and was not surprised to hear such vulgar words. No, the younger Uchiha was most definitely not the type to curse or to speak so crassly about sex, but he did have his moments. "And if you haven't already, then you will. That's just a simple fact. You can try and pretend like you don't feel anything, but I know you do." Just as Itachi was about to argue, Shisui silenced him. "I'm not saying you have feelings for Sakura-san, Itachi, I'm simply saying that like us, you are a man. She's a woman. I don't have to give you 'the talk', do I?"

He wasn't going to lie. Itachi had found quite a few sentences in Sakura's letters that could hold a double meaning, but he refused to think about such things. It was most likely that she hadn't meant it in such a way and hadn't even noticed how it could potentially sound (he was merely feeling the strain of being celibate). When recalling her letters, however, one of her sentences out of her most recent letter came to mind: ' _I'm definitely taking you'_ and Itachi couldn't deny that at first, his mind refused to register the rest of the sentence and went straight to a different meaning, gave him an image he had no right to be seeing or imagining.

That didn't get rid of those thoughts, though. Knowing that he shouldn't be thinking of somebody he barely even knew in such a way, knowing that it wasn't right, did not keep those thoughts out of his mind. It was easy to push them away during the day when he was busy with tasks or giving orders, but late at night, when he collapsed in bed and had nothing left to think about, her letters were where his mind went to and then thinking of her letters made him think of her.

More than anything, Itachi hoped that he wouldn't suddenly become a sex starved man, who thought of nothing other than sex. While those certain thoughts of Sakura were, in their own way, pleasant, it was disrespectful of him to think of her like that. A kiss was one thing, but picturing himself inside her, taking her?

Itachi quickly shoved those thoughts out of his mind before they could go any further, like he always did. It was not appropriate. He didn't know her and she was his brother's friend. How many times had he spoken to her? Not many. It was ridiculous!

"You have," Shisui suddenly exclaimed, but quickly lowered his voice and smirked, leaning forward eagerly. "I _knew_ it. So tell me–"

"No."

It seemed his friend was also feeling that certain craving, although he definitely hid it better than the men outside.

Great.

Itachi had a strong suspicion in the pit of his stomach that it would be down to him to protect Sakura from the perverts of their camp, should her own teammates be unable to do so. While he was by no means underestimating her and certain she was more than capable of protecting herself, Shisui had had a point when he mentioned her continuous draining of chakra due to healing them. She would be constantly weakened from the healing sessions.

Unfortunately, he knew that, in his own subtle way, Shisui would no doubt hit on Sakura, meaning Itachi would have to watch out for him, also.

At the same time, however, he knew that he would have to stop himself as well. Just the simple fact that his thoughts continuously drifted to her and their letters informed him of that. Itachi knew he would be able to do so, as he was no sex obsessed adolescent, but it he was not oblivious to the fact that his hormones were finally catching up to him at a completely inappropriate time.

He merely hoped his self-control would remain undefeated.


	6. One Time

**Chapter 5**

**One Time**

* * *

_Cherry-san,_

_It would be amusing to see you try and "punch me across the village". Do not believe that it will be easy for you like when you do that to Whiskers._

_There must always be balance within the team, but considering that it was my first team and I was fairly young, I needed somebody to guide me through the ranks. Dog happened to be that person._

_That does sound like a horrifying dream. I don't particularly care for ramen, so let us hope that Whiskers does not make "every day, ramen day"._

_I'm glad you caught on. Taka should know better than to raise his voice at home – our mother is almost always there and she can hear everything. Be lucky it was not my father who heard you. How is the research coming along?_

_He has always been independent and has always wished to do everything for himself. The only time he ever appreciated help was when I would offered to train him. Before your team, he wasn't a very good team player. I suppose I am partly to blame for that, as he seems to take after me. Why are you shocked about him asking for you specifically? You are his teammate and somebody he trusts. He knows that he can rely on you._

_Surprisingly, I was being sarcastic._

_I know who you are on about. It will be good if he finally takes notice in her – her crush is almost as obvious as yours had been._

_No, it is not strange that you wished to kill Whiskers during your Academy days. Taka would return home wishing to do the same, almost every day._

_My mother has always enjoyed taking care of us, but mostly Taka as he is a mother's boy. She enjoys coddling him, whereas I have never really allowed that to happen._

_Now that I think about it, I have heard of that expression before. Not through other people, but just as I was walking through our village. You have a loud voice, Cherry-san. Taka should be more careful what he says around his medic. I do not have a word._

_Why would you not be able to say all of these things in person?_

_So her crush on Taka has ended and now she has a crush on me? Great. How do any of you know that I am a bachelor? I could have a lover back in the village, for all you know._

_I did not think that you meant it in that way, but it is amusing that you thought I would._

_You should not be intimidated by my handwriting, Cherry-san. You're a doctor._

_If you are referring to the other animal that would suit me best, then it would be much too obvious who I am. And not very original._

_Yes, you did do that. I was not frustrated with you, though. Taka could also be clingy when he was younger and I had grown used to it. So instead of making you leave, I allowed you to sit by my side and pick flowers until you fell asleep. Your parents love you, but yes, they were slightly overwhelming. I can assure you that you did not ruin my night. I would have been at the festival, but I had a mission two days later and had to prepare._

_I will make sure my team rests, Cherry-san. In return I would like for you to also take care of yourself. You are going to wear yourself down at this rate and as a medic, you need to rest._ _At one point, we have all pushed aside our own injuries for our team. It is nothing to be upset or angry about._ _I suppose being of use is a nice feeling._

_Forgive me, Cherry-san, that I could not respond fully to your letter. My team is about to set out and this was the only chance I could get to reply._

_Crow_

* * *

"Is he better?"

Sakura sighed, giving her shishou a worried look. "I haven't had the time to check today. My shift at the hospital ended this morning as somebody asked me to switch with them. So far, though, he's been healing nicely. We don't need to use such heavy bandages now, as his eyes are less sensitive, but we have been keeping them covered just in case."

Nodding, Tsunade sat back in her seat, glancing down at the scroll before her. "I suppose it would be best. If he is anything like his brother, then I know for a fact he will push himself. Speaking of which." She lifted the envelope on the desk up and tossed it to her. "Your letter is here. The others have already been to collect theirs, but considering you had a shift, I'm not surprised you weren't here."

She never read the letters being sent to those in the village. There was no need to. Those back at the base camps were either all members of ANBU, or had been taught most of the ways of ANBU, so knew what was okay to say and what wasn't. Besides, what was the point in reading letters that had already arrived?

Holding the envelope in her hands, Sakura's eyes slid to it and she attempted to ignore the near overwhelming urge to tear it open already. In her last letter, she hadn't been lying when she told Itachi she enjoyed reading his letters. It felt like she was getting to know him, despite only exchanging several of them and so far, she'd come to the realisation that he wasn't as cold-hearted as people believed him to be. If he was, he wouldn't have given her permission to go to his clan's library. He wanted her to help Sasuke. Also, he could be pretty sarcastic when he wanted to be. He teased her often, too. It made her eager to read the next letter, wanting to know how he would respond to her baiting.

"Sakura."

"Sorry." She blushed, looking back to her shishou, who had a knowing smirk on her face.

"It's fine. Just don't let those letters distract you too much." Sakura nodded quickly. "Team Seven will be sent out tomorrow to base camp four. I will give you until the end of today to heal Sasuke's eyes. If that doesn't happen, he will stay here where I will take over his healing."

She couldn't help but grimace. He would be in a never-ending bad mood if that happened. "Tsunade-sama, Sasuke-kun won't let you–"

"Near him. I know. But if he wants his sight back, he will. I've been reading over your research, Sakura, and you're doing a good job so far. It is because of your persistence that we're learning a lot more about the sharingan and since discovering what you have learned, Shizune and I have been able to heal over twenty Uchiha clan members who were suffering from chakra burns to their eyes. As Sasuke's eyes are more severely burned, I know that it will take a while to heal them. The damage won't be permanent though, unless he continuously strains his eyes this way. Make sure he doesn't. Naruto depends on him, as does our village."

Again, Sakura nodded. Was it strange that she didn't like speaking of Sasuke that way? Like he was merely a tool to their village? She knew that, in the eyes of the village, he was a tool. All shinobi were. But… He was her precious person. He was so much more than a tool for their disposal.

It unnerved her slightly when silence fell over them, when honey coloured eyes focused on Sakura's body, repeatedly taking in the sight of it. Clearing her throat, she shifted her weight to her other foot, just barely resisting the urge to check that she'd dressed herself properly before leaving the hospital. Her scrubs had been covered in blood, but fortunately for her, her ordinary every day outfit had been waiting for her in her locker. Still, Sakura felt horribly judged, even though she knew her shishou didn't have any issues with her clothing.

When her gaze narrowed, Sakura instantly recognised the expression and straightened, self-consciousness disappearing rapidly. _That_ look she was used to. It meant Tsunade was analysing her, assessing her. She was thinking something over carefully.

A second later and Tsunade hummed, seemingly coming to her conclusion.

"I received a letter from Tenten," the blonde informed her, finally looking away as she grabbed said letter. "Before she and Lee were sent out, I gave them specific orders. In her report, not only did she get back to me on those things, but she also informed me on something else, something about _you_."

Her? Was Tenten still suspicious about her and Itachi's letters? "Me?"

There was a sigh. "Yes. It's not uncommon that, on base camps filled with only men, they are–"

" _Oh,_ " Sakura quickly cut her off, her eyes widening. "So they–"

"Yes. They're all horny. Incredibly so, if Tenten is not over-exaggerating. Honestly, I can't see her doing such a thing, as her teammates are Gai and Lee and her life is chaotic enough without any exaggerations."

Not for the first time, Sakura grimaced. Going to a base camp where all the men were craving sex, a woman's body, was not an appealing thought. Poor Tenten. She couldn't even imagine what the woman had to put up with. Actually, no. Sakura would know and she was going to find out in a couple of days. If she was going to keep those men away from her, she needed her teammates there. It wasn't that she couldn't look after herself, because Sakura believed she was more than capable of doing so. It was because it was a _male_ base camp. Not a female, not both sexes, just male. She needed her team there to watch her back, just in case somebody tried peeping on her (they were ANBU level, the majority of the men there, after all and her skills certainly didn't match up). Sakura knew she could trust both Naruto and Sasuke not to take advantage of her if they caught sight of her body during showers or getting changed and it was the same to them, too. She couldn't say the same about the rest of the camp.

"How bad?"

"Enough that their captains had to step in to make them back off. The girl can't get any peace unless she is around her teammates, Sai, Tenzo or the Uchiha pair. They're the only ones unaffected by this, which isn't all that surprising."

It really wasn't, she supposed. They were all trained to hide their emotions, to ignore those urges, so that they could put their missions first, their training first. "I guess this means I'll be digging out my official uniform, then."

The blonde's upper lip curled for a moment as she clenched her fists, clearly pissed off. "You shouldn't have to, but yes. Tenten informed me that they can focus more on their orders if they are not distracted by a woman's body. This is ridiculous! They're supposed to be shinobi."

Slipping the letter into her pouch, Sakura pulled a face. "It's not really, if you think about it, Shishou. They're men, right? They have wives here, wives who have been around every day, taking care of those needs. Most of them probably haven't ever gone this long without sex since losing their virginities."

"I suppose," she relented, albeit reluctantly. It no doubt annoyed her beyond belief that they were ruled by their needs, but Sakura knew it was because, despite everything, they were only human. "Perhaps a rotation is in order. Tomorrow I will call a meeting with the elders about allowing the men who are out there to come home for a couple of weeks. They won't be able to stay too long as they're needed out there, but hopefully by doing this, they can clear their heads. I can't have distracted men watching the border when things are growing progressively worse." Sighing suddenly, she sat back in her seat, gaze trailing to the wall of her predecessors. "I agree. I've kept them out there for too damn long."

She was feeling guilty. Sakura could see the guilt clearly on Tsunade's face and in response, she felt an overwhelming need to relieve her of the burden, but alongside that need, she felt honoured, too. Tsunade didn't let her guard around anyone and everyone - only a select few who possessed her entire trust.

"Tsunade-shishou, you shouldn't blame yourself," she said softly. "Some of those men choose not to come back here, putting the village before their needs. We all do it and I know you have too."

"That's different. I'm Hokage."

"Yes, but you're still a person, just like they are. They've been able to ignore those urges so far because no women have been on the camps. They were probably able to focus better before Tenten went there. How long has it been since they felt a woman's body? Or since they experienced _that_ sort of pleasure? It's only natural that they want it, especially considering that all they have for human contact is battle."

Recognising the look on Tsunade's face as the woman's attention began to drift, she felt her heart lurch into her throat. She knew what - and who - her shishou was thinking about and knowing that privacy would be greatly appreciated, she offered a gentle smile, telling her, "I'll go and check on Sasuke-kun, Tsunade-shishou, and get back to you as soon as I can."

Instead of voicing her approval, Tsunade nodded once and reached for the sake bottle in the drawer of her desk.

* * *

How was she going to say it to him? Sakura chewed her bottom lip, watching out of the corner of her eye as Sasuke sat at the table, peacefully eating the tomatoes she had just cut up for him.

His parents were currently away at a clan meeting, so he had been left alone for at least four hours (there was no telling how long a meeting would be). At that moment, she was sitting across from him, holding her cup of tea between both her hands, enjoying the warmth it brought to her.

It felt peaceful seated at the dinner table with him, alone in his family home and she wondered whether they ever would have reached such a comfortable place in their friendship, had it not been for their pushing the boundaries the night of Ino's party. Would they have continued to be confused by their complicated emotions had it not been for that night? Perhaps, she allowed. But Sakura also supposed they wouldn't be half as close, either. Realising she'd been mislead by her own feelings seemed to have opened Sasuke up to her, allowing her to see a side of him nobody had ever seen before. Even Naruto couldn't comprehend their closeness, yet lack of romantic love. He'd been adamant that they'd been secretly seeing one another for the longest time until he accepted that they'd bonded in a way he couldn't understand during his absence.

"Just spit it out, Sakura."

Damn it. He knew her too well. "Should I even ask how you know?"

"You're tense and haven't taken a sip of your tea for a while. I can hear much more clearly now that I can't rely on my sight," Sasuke told her, tilting his head in her direction and pausing in his eating. "You heard back from Tsunade."

What, was he a psychic now too?

"Don't pull that face."

She tensed, freezing.

 _What the hell?_ How did he know that?

"I'm not pulling a face, Sasuke-kun."

The corner of his mouth twitched, telling her that he was amused. "So you're not currently puffing your cheeks out and scrunching your nose up?"

She slowly relaxed her features. "…No."

"Liar."

"Okay, maybe I was, but you can't blame me. It's freaky that you know me so well. I mean, you can't even see me, yet you know when I'm pulling a face at you - you know _what_ face I'm pulling. How the hell is that even possible?" Just as he opened his mouth, Sakura cut him off with a roll of her eyes, "I don't even want to know."

He nodded, going silent for a few minutes. "What did she say?"

Words weren't needed for him to pick up on her nervousness, on her uncertainty. The pause before speaking spoke volumes. "Tomorrow. Team Seven is being sent to base camp four tomorrow." Sasuke did not reply but she could tell by the faintest twitch of his eyebrow that he was struggling. "Tonight I want to work on your eyes for as long as I can without causing further damage."

"You'll deplete your chakra," he argued quietly. "It takes too long for you to replenish it fully – you're going to need your chakra while travelling."

Sakura shook her head, then remembered a moment later that he couldn't see her despite being so in tune with her. It was true that it took her much longer to replenish her chakra since she continuously drained hers in the hospital and it wasn't all too large to start with (unless she counted the chakra stored up in her forehead). She was from a civilian family, after all. While those in a shinobi clan were brought up on a special diet, training before they could even walk properly, Sakura had been brought up as a civilian child. There was no telling if it would have been different for her had her parents been shinobi, but that didn't matter to her. She was simply grateful for her perfect chakra control.

"If I have both you and Naruto there, it won't matter too much," she retorted just as quietly. "Sasuke-kun, if I do this, I will have about half of my chakra back by tomorrow–"

"Which will then be wasted travelling."

"Not entirely it won't be."

"But enough to make you weak and vulnerable. What if we can't get to you, Sakura? What if we get separated and neither Naruto nor I can protect you? This is why you pushed yourself so hard and asked Tsunade if she would take you on as her apprentice. Not to be reckless with your chakra, but to be able to protect yourself and those you care about. I know you too well for you to even attempt at denying that." There was a pause where Sasuke took a deep breath before continuing, "I want my sight back. I do. But what if your efforts go to waste and then because of my selfishness, you get killed?"

Similar to it being an honour to see Tsunade's vulnerability, it was just as great an honour to witness Sasuke's, too. Nobody knew how protective he truly was of his precious people - or more specifically, she wasn't afraid to admit, _her_. The only people who really knew was their team and his family. After all, when Naruto left to train with Jiraiya and Kakashi had been busy with back-to-back missions, there'd been just them trying to navigate through finding themselves, discovering who they were. Sure, they'd both been busy at times training with different people, but they always came back to one another, showing them their growth. And more often than not, Sasuke pushed her beyond her limits in order for her to grow stronger, wanting her to be able to protect herself rather than relying on others. In return, she used her new strength against him, forcing him to become faster to avoid the blows that would kill him (if she ever hit him, she healed him as much as possible immediately).

Over the years, they had gone on many missions together and always had each other's backs. And Naruto realised when he returned just how much he had missed out on. She and Sasuke were already chūnin, whereas he was still genin. When Naruto finally reached chūnin rank, they were jōnin (now, Naruto was also a jōnin - it had taken him a while, much longer than he would ever admit, but he finally made it). It was like symbolism, in a way, since rank was not the only thing he had to catch up. And he did. He caught up as much as he could and they were like siblings, now. They were each other's family. If one of them was hurting, they were all hurting. That was just how it worked with them.

"I'm a medic, remember? I have my seal."

"Which shortens your lifespan if you use the _Sōzō Saisei_ jutsu. You also haven't been given permission to use that jutsu yet. Tsunade told you it's for emergencies only. Not something to be used recklessly."

It was no use arguing with Sasuke. He either always had a comeback, or always had a list of 'pros' and 'cons' in his head. "I want you to come with us, Sasuke-kun. Even if I have to knock you out, I'm checking up on your eyes and healing them as much as I can."

She could tell he wanted nothing more than for her to heal them and wanted nothing more than to join her and Naruto. "…Fine."

"Finish your tomatoes. Then, I'll heal your eyes."

"No. You need to sleep first. You worked the night shift last night."

Always so stubborn. "Fine," she repeated his earlier agreement. "I'll take a nap. Wake me up in three hours, otherwise I won't be able to sleep tonight. I have no shifts now until we get back from base camp four."

Sasuke couldn't help but give her a small smile, picking up on the fact she purposely said _we_ instead of _I_. "Fine," he told her once again. "Three hours."

* * *

He had let her sleep for five hours.

Whether it was done accidentally or purposely, Sakura would never know as she didn't want to bring it up to him for the sake of accidentally bruising his pride. Besides, they both knew she needed to sleep for longer, and it wasn't like he could glance at a clock to check the time, could he? Whatever his reasons, she was grateful because while she would have preferred to sleep a little longer (despite her earlier words), she was rested enough now to get on with healing his eyes.

Ignoring the aches of her joints, she leaned up on her elbow, smiling at the sight of the cup of tea being held in Sasuke's hand as he stood in her doorway.

Was it odd for her to often wish that things could have turned out different between them? That their closeness also brought forth a painful feeling of loneliness? She wasn't oblivious to the fact that their unusual intimacy often caused people to mistake the status of their relationship (it also meant no dates for her, since men were so adamant that their being so close meant they were into each other, often threatened by it since she refused to ditch her friend for a guy).

It was easy getting confused too, she supposed. In that moment, she knew they looked like more than friends. To wake her up, he'd brought her a cup of tea (something her father did every morning for her mother), alongside a bowl of cut up fruit (she knew it more than likely would have been Mikoto who prepared the fruit, that he was merely bringing them in, but that didn't matter to her). If she pretended that his parents weren't home, if she pretended that it was _their_ house, then she knew they would pass as a married couple.

Was that a bad thing? Kind of, she had to admit, because it hurt when people asked how long they had been a couple for. Not because she wanted them to be, but because of how they looked from another's point of view. An old woman from the Uchiha clan (Sakura had later on learned she was Sasuke's aunt) had once told them they would have beautiful children together. Sasuke had blushed – they both had, actually. It seemed everyone had it in their heads that because of her old crush on him and because of how strong their bond was now, that they were in love. And she was growing kind of tired of having to remind people that there were two different kinds of love. There was being _in love_ and then there was loving somebody. She loved Sasuke, but she wasn't in love with him. And even though he would never vocally admit to it, she knew he loved her too.

Before the kiss that told them both there were no romantic feelings there, that there was no spark, Sakura had wished more than anything that she and Sasuke would be together, that they would have lots and lots of little Uchiha babies together. But that was just the point. It was a childish dream belonging to a teenage girl. Back then, Sakura knew that she would have done anything, _anything_ , to make Sasuke notice her and that just wasn't healthy. And it wasn't fair either.

She liked how they were now, despite the loneliness it brought at times. She liked that she could be completely comfortable around him without having to worry about her appearance, without having to look her best so that she could impress him. Of course Sakura still took care of her appearance (she was still a girl, a woman, after all), but not to the point of ignoring her training or her duties. And most importantly, he opened up to her now. Sasuke didn't have to worry about her squealing with happiness if he gave her a simple smile. He didn't have to worry about her taking something the wrong way and getting the wrong idea in her head.

Those kinds of thoughts went through her head several times every month, because no matter how many times they told the villagers differently and denied being romantically involved with each other, they never believed them. They would smirk, giving them a knowing look like they were saying " _yeah,_ _sure"_. It _made_ those thoughts enter Sakura's mind and she knew they went through Sasuke's too, making him question everything. Hell, she once thought about simply being with him just to make everyone shut up, but no. Their bond was too important to her to destroy it. She needed Sasuke. He was her safety. It was because of him that she got to where she was today.

"Thanks," Sakura told Sasuke, accepting the cup of tea and shuffling over so that he could sit by her side on the bed.

That was what she meant by being comfortable with each other. If it was somebody else, another man who she wasn't involved with, Sakura would never have been able to let them lay in bed alone with her, but she didn't think twice about it when it was him. No, Sasuke was not laying down and was in fact now leaning against the headboard of her bed, but that was beside the point. The only other man who had been able to share her bed was Gaara. The only other men who got to see her so vulnerable were the other members of Team Seven and Gaara. They were the only men she was one hundred percent comfortable around. They had all seen her at her best, but also her worst, and accepted her despite those flaws.

Bowl of fruit still in hand, Sasuke somehow managed to figure out where her lap was after she had sat up and placed the bowl down on it. He nodded once in response to her thanks.

"So when do you want to get started?" she asked after a sip of her tea and a bite into a strawberry. It wasn't a nice combination, but that only vaguely registered in her mind.

"You just woke up." Sakura knew that, had his bandages not been in place, Sasuke would be rolling his eyes.

Nodding to herself, she glanced up at his features. "Fruit?" He shook his head. "Okay. Try taking the bandages off and see how your eyes feel."

As he started to unravel the bandages from around his head, Sakura placed her bowl and cup down on the bedside table and shifted in her position so that she was facing him. After a moment, Sasuke paused, feeling the bed move before also changing his position, realising she would want to see his eyes and how they reacted to the light.

Sensing his anxiety and knowing he would be going through unnecessary what ifs, she squeezed his knee gently in encouragement, grateful that he wasn't given too long to ponder those morbid thoughts as he came to the last of the bandage.

She leaned closer, inspecting him closely when Sasuke's eyes opened, meeting hers.

"They certainly don't look as bad as they did before," Sakura mumbled to him, gently taking a hold of his face and tilting his head downwards, watching his pupils dilating before going back to their usual size. "Can you see?"

Seeming to be in a state of shock, Sasuke nodded. "Parts of my vision is blurred, but I can see. And my eyes don't hurt, either."

Sakura smiled brightly. "That's great. Sometimes, you've just got to let nature take its course. We can't heal everything and sometimes, injuries are better off healing by themselves."

Again, he only nodded, blinking a couple of times. "Sakura–"

"Don't." She already knew what he was going to ask. "Don't even dare to try and activate your sharingan, Sasuke–kun. I haven't examined your eyes yet and just because they're working almost perfectly now, it doesn't mean your sharingan won't be too much for them." Pausing for a moment, Sakura watched as his eyes focused on hers, but also noticed how they squinted for a moment. He was obviously trying to get rid of the blurred parts of his vision. "I've got some good news, though." He raised an eyebrow, silently telling her to continue. "Tsunade-sama and Shizune-san have been able to completely heal the eyes of over twenty of your clansmen because of my research. Sure, your eyes are much more powerful than theirs, but I'd like to think this is a good sign. It may take a little longer and it may be a little more difficult for us, but I'm certain I can heal you."

It didn't surprise her when he smiled at her. When it was just them, or even with the rest of their team, he did it a lot more often than people believed. "Thank you, Sakura."

Giving him a teasing smile, she reached behind her for her bowl of fruit and gave him two light, playful slaps on the cheek once she was turned back around and facing him. "Don't be thanking me yet, Sasuke-kun. I think, for this, I may have to ask a couple of favours from you."

Like she had been hoping, Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You're my medic."

"And you're my teammate," she retorted, her teasing smile widening. However, a moment later, she grew serious and seeing that, _actually seeing it_ , Sasuke did, too. "This isn't going to be any stupid favour like a foot massage or something like that. This is pretty serious." Eyebrows knitting together, he nodded once. "As long as you're comfortable with it, I'm going to take a risk by telling Tsunade-sama tonight that your eyes are healed. To make it seem more believable, I'll tell her that in order to stop them from becoming any more damaged, I'll need to keep a closer eye on you and you won't be able to use your sharingan for extended amounts of time – which is true, anyway."

He rolled his eyes. "Get on with it."

The smile she suddenly gave him was nervous and she knew he would be able to clearly read her discomfort as her gaze dropped to her bowl of fruit, hands fidgeting with it. "Tenten-san and Lee-san were sent to base camp four not too long ago. I'd say about just under two weeks, now. Well, a week and a half. Anyway, the men there… They're all giving Tenten-san trouble. Nothing too serious–"

"They're sexually harassing her."

His features scrunched up with disgust when she nodded. "Not every man. Your brother and Shisui-san are keeping them away from her, as well as Lee-san and Neji-san, but it's enough to make her uncomfortable, so much so that she actually warned Tsunade-sama."

His deadpan told her he was uncomfortable with his realisation. "Warned her about sending _you_ there." Sakura nodded, swallowing. Alone with him, she wasn't afraid to admit she was scared of what could happen, but to do so in front of Tsunade was grossly inappropriate of her. "And you want me to keep them away from you? What makes you think I'll be able to do that without my sharingan? They're ANBU."

She couldn't help but frown at that, not liking how he underestimated himself. "You're still intimidating, Sasuke-kun. Maybe back when we were twelve you wouldn't have been much to scare them off, but… Well, you've buffed out now." She bit back a smirk when the back of his neck and the tops of his ears turned pink. "They don't know that you might not be able to use your sharingan. Besides, how much can I really rely on Naruto not to get distracted? Knowing him, he'll be demanding Neji-san to a rematch and then he'd want to take on the rest of the camp. Yes, he's defensive and protective of me, but he's still an idiot. I mean, come on. He still hasn't noticed that Hinata's in love with him!"

"And has been since the academy." Once again, Sasuke was rolling his eyes. "What do you need me to do?"

A grateful smile pulled at her lips. "I'm not saying you have to stay by my side every minute of every day, because I can handle most of them by myself. I just mean that if I'm tired out from healing people or examining the others' eyes, then I'm going to need somebody there. There's a risk I could start fainting depending on the severity of the damage to their eyes."

The thought of her being so vulnerable obviously displeased him. She could see it in the furrowing of his brow.

Fortunately for her, Sasuke would never think of her as a damsel in distress or assume she was incapable of protecting herself. He would know how much it would be angering her having to admit she needed the protection of others, even if it was because of draining herself healing others. However, as much as Sakura would rather protect herself than have somebody else do it, she was not afraid to ask for help. She knew when she needed it.

"Itachi-san has been keeping the men away from Tenten-san, as has Neji-san, but this camp is an all male camp, Sasuke-kun."

"Meaning single sex bathrooms and cabins."

"Unisex now, if you think about it."

"You think they'd spy on you?" Sasuke ignored her correction. "They're shinobi. They should know better than to–"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "They may be shinobi, but they're also men who have all gone a long time without that sort of release. I don't think they'll force themselves on me, but what if some of them are like Jiraiya-sama? What if they try peeping on me while I'm bathing?"

"Like Itachi would let that happen. He's traditional, Sakura. And he has honour. Nothing goes unnoticed by him and if he sees somebody attempting to do that, he'll stop them. But if that doesn't happen and he somehow misses it, then fine."

Relief had her smiling. "Thanks. I would've asked Naruto, but I know he'd take advantage of the opportunity and peep on me himself."

"We're teammates." He shrugged. "You've done the same for me before."

And she had. Some of the medics at the hospital were always a little too happy about seeing him there and always told him that it was time for his sponge bath, much to his horror. That was partly where the rumours of them being together came from, because the amount of times Sakura had kicked those fan-girls out, screaming at them to act like medics instead of perverts, was ridiculous. It was also why he'd demanded she became his personal medic.

"I doubt they'll try anything because most of them have got wives and children, but this is a just in case. We're probably even overreacting and thinking the worst."

"Or you're being sensible and cautious," came his dark mutter.

While never one to boast, since her short-lived relationship with Gaara, Sakura was more aware of the way others looked at her now. As she'd told Sasuke he'd buffed out since they were twelve, she filled out. No, she didn't have over-exaggerated curves like most other women, but they were noticeable and attractive and she felt comfortable - no, she was _happy_ with the way she looked.

* * *

Sensible and cautious.

It was ridiculous that such measures were being asked of them, but more importantly, it aggravated him beyond belief that Sakura felt threatened and had to keep her guard up all because men couldn't last without sex. The fact that they were harassing Tenten only meant that Sakura would receive far worse treatment and it had him determined on accompanying her to the camp because while they weren't in love, he was not afraid to admit that his teammate was obviously attractive, or appreciate her appearance from time-to-time. They would make life hell for her if she went alone, making her a paranoid mess. Like hell he'd allow that to happen.

Her beauty was on display for the world, growing more sensual when she became involved with Sabaku no Gaara and making it difficult for others to ignore her. The amount of times they'd walked the streets of Konoha together and he'd noticed men eyeing her appreciatively behind the backs of their wives, gazes drawn to the way her hips dipped as she walked, sickened him. It only went to prove his thoughts of her having the type of figure most men found attractive, though. Gaara certainly had and the man had been labelled as asexual by many gossipers.

Not for the first time, pastel pink hair had grown out and left to flow around her features, framing them and adding to her femininity, but he knew by now that Sakura had a habit of growing it out before cutting it short, allowing it to grow to such a length once more. She seemed to like the change, though he would never outright ask why. He'd give it another couple of months before she got it cut again.

Surprisingly, however, it was not her hair that was her most defining feature. No, it was her almond shaped eyes, the colour and shape demanding the attention of many and he wasn't afraid to admit to himself that he'd always thought they were her best feature (not that he would admit that to her - it would go to her head too much and she would definitely use it against him). 

It was strange how he could sit there and appreciate her appearance, but wasn't attracted to her at all. He definitely liked her curves and thought she was beautiful (more often than not causing excruciating confusion to swell within him), but… Well, she was Sakura. His friend and teammate. There just weren't any feelings of lust between them.

Maybe there was something wrong with _him?_ Not that he'd ever admit to it out loud (just in case that idiot Naruto somehow heard), but Sasuke had never been aroused. At least not to the point where he had to do something about it. Sometimes he woke up with a hard on, but he never _felt_ aroused and a cold shower always fixed the issue. Was it because his training was too important to him? Because he was too busy working hard to please his father? Because he simply didn't have time for relationships and the drama that came with them? Was that why things turned out the way they had with Sakura? If he hadn't felt so different to other men his age, how would things have differed between them?

That was the only part that confused him, though he was aware of the fact Sakura frequently grew confused due to the pressure of those in the village. He undeniably felt attached to her, but their experience together had been awkward to him, soon making them both uncomfortable when neither of them were aroused by it (he was glad he wasn't the only one, however, as it quieted the thoughts of there being something wrong with him).

It was a shame, if he really thought about it (not that he'd tell her that), because Sasuke wouldn't have minded living every day similar to how they had for the past few weeks. Her company was greatly appreciated during his darkest times and having her by his side, being with her, was simple and as easy as breathing.

Once, she'd confided in him that she'd wondered what would happen if they gave in to the pressure of others. Would they be happy? Living comfortably together in their peaceful bubble, feeling so at ease, being able to confide in one another about anything - would that be enough for them? Honestly? Sasuke leaned more on the yes side than he wanted to admit. She was the only woman he felt comfortable with. But that wouldn't be fair to Sakura. He would essentially be taking advantage of her vulnerability, of her need for him.

She was a hopeless romantic – everybody knew that. If he went through with that selfish thought just to please his clan (with children who would no doubt be highly skilled with his abilities and her chakra control) and to save himself the trouble of finding somebody else, it would most likely kill her. Not physically, but emotionally. It would weigh her down and depress her. It would kill her on the inside, knowing they were having sex purely to have children, knowing they weren't actually in love but together out of convenience. And he would never allow something like that to happen to her. Sakura was someone he would never be capable of hurting.

It wasn't easy ignoring the others, though. He had members of his clan approaching him and asking if they were ever going to get married. He had civilians coming up to him when he happened to be in the civilian district, asking if he loved her and how things were going. Was he taking good care of her, they'd ask. Hell, even the Hokage had once summoned him to her office and gave him 'the talk' - though, not about sex. She'd been threatening him, warning him that if he ever hurt Sakura, she would make sure there would be no Uchiha babies coming from him. It had taken him a while to get it into Tsunade's head that they were definitely _not_ together, but she eventually understood and had even seemed relieved. Apparently she also realised how special their bond was and how it would completely destroy said bond if something did happen between him and Sakura and it ended badly.

Fortunately for him, they had stopped approaching him for a while when the rumours of her being with the Kazekage began circulating. Sasuke had warned her not to tell Ino, even if she did need advice, but the blonde had managed to get it out of her anyway. She'd been surprised that he'd known about it in the first place, as she'd tried hard to keep it to herself, but of course he already knew. He had seen the look in Gaara's eyes when she kissed him at Christmas. Even Naruto had noticed it. They all knew he was into her. And that had been fine with them, just as long as he never hurt her. Physically or emotionally. Not only would he have Team Seven on his ass faster than he could cry to his beast, 'Shukaku, help me', but he would also destroy the treaty if he ever physically harmed her. Tsunade would have his head. And that was _if_ Sakura didn't deal with him herself before the rest of them.

He and Naruto weren't the cliché teammates who scared off all possible suitors (although Naruto often got a little jealous if her attention wasn't on him), but if they genuinely had a problem with the guy trying to court Sakura, then they would tell her once and be done with it. There was no point in trying to get in the way of other people's happiness. It was sick. Like back when she started secretly seeing Gaara, Sasuke had told her to be careful. That was it. There was no hissy fit, no demanding to know why the hell she had to be with _him,_ of all people (since he'd tried to slaughter their entire team). There had been no sulking or trying to get in between them. Team Seven simply accepted the relationship for her sake. Naruto had been happy for them both, despite his crush on Sakura. Hell, Sasuke had even felt relieved for her, glad that she had found even an ounce of happiness.

If they both knew that the guy would treat Sakura well, that he wouldn't mess her about or hurt her, then they were fine. They would stand by her side no matter what, because they knew for a fact that if that man hurt her somehow, she would deal with him herself. Sakura didn't need them to act like possessive, protective older brothers. She'd break them in half with a snap of her fingers.

But, it hadn't worked out between them and for the first night after ending things with Gaara, Sakura had been upset. There was no use in lying about it, not when he knew her so well and could read her heartbreak, could see her feelings of being a failure. However, afterwards, she had accepted it. After all, it had been a joint decision and both believed it to be the right thing to do. After that one night of being upset and having a cry, Sakura got back on her feet and got back to work. It was what he admired so much about her. She didn't let it hinder her.

She wasn't entirely happy though. Sasuke could see that even now, as she sat eating her fruit and sipping her tea, talking to him about unimportant subjects as she woke up properly. There were times when she would get a certain look in her eyes, a look of loneliness and he knew that it was worsened because of their bond (since it kept potential suitors away, not liking how close they were). It wasn't surprising that she felt that way, though. For a civilian around her age, they were already settling down and getting married. Their team was aware of how her mother was trying to push her into marrying, but they also knew that Mebuki respected Sakura's profession (but still wanted her to settle down and give her grandchildren).

After a while, it eventually got to her, like it would to anybody and made her realise how lonely her life was. Hell, even his father had once asked him when he planned on finding a suitable wife and it'd caused him to a pause. _Him_. It got a person thinking, Sasuke wouldn't deny that. But unlike himself, Sakura, who had always been a hopeless romantic, _wanted_ to get married. She had even brought it up once before. Not any time soon, of course, but at one point in her life, before she got too old.

" _I want to have children not too young, but not too old either – I want to be a youngish mother who can keep up with her children, who will no doubt have a ridiculous amount of energy. And I want my husband to be a caring man, one who will love our children just as much as he loves me,_ " he inwardly recalled her saying. That had been what she stated one time while on a mission. It had stunned him, hearing her speaking about such a personal subject so randomly, but Sasuke had listened, giving the occasional nod and 'hn' to let her know that he was listening.

Sometimes, that was all Sakura wanted. She wanted somebody she could confide in, open up to and tell all of her thoughts without being judged (and she knew without ever having to think about it that he would always be that person for her - her safety). She simply wanted somebody to listen to her. One time, just like he knew Naruto had (hell, maybe even Kakashi had when Sakura was of age), Sasuke had wished that he could be that man for Sakura and not for the sake of shutting everyone else up for once. Not that he'd ever tell her that.

It had been a random, split second thought. He had just wanted to take away her loneliness. If it had been while she had a crush on him, then Sasuke wouldn't have cared. He would have simply ignored her or called her annoying. But they got to know each other better. Their team felt each other's pain as though it was their own. If it was Naruto who was feeling lonely, then they would all do something in their own way to take it away. If Sasuke was feeling particularly broody because of something his father said, then the rest of the team would do what they could to drag him out of that mood. The same went for Kakashi. For Sakura, they gave her whatever love they could and listened to her.

"You're brooding again, Sasuke-kun." Sakura gently bumped into him and gave him a soft smile when he looked down at her. "Penny for your thoughts?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing." Seeing that she wasn't convinced, he gave her a small smile. "Really."

Others viewed him as cold and distant, but his family and team saw different. Sometimes, he could be the exact same as the little boy who would run around the district with a smile on his face (okay, he wouldn't do that now as it would be a little creepy and he would undoubtedly scare the children, but he wasn't as cold as people thought). Close family members such as his parents, Itachi, Shisui and his aunt and uncle at the sweetshop (they were not Shisui's parents, as they had passed away before Sasuke was even born), could get a more vocal, emotional reply out of him and a smile, just like his team could. But Sasuke would admit that anyone other than those select few would not get the same reaction or treatment. The only people who could were his precious people. The ones he fought so hard for to impress or protect.

"Okay," Sakura reluctantly accepted his answer and once again set her now empty bowl and cup down on the bedside table. "You ready?"

Nodding once, Sasuke closed his eyes and relaxed as he felt her chakra entering his body, going straight to his eyes.


	7. Surprise!

**Chapter 6**

**Surprise!**

* * *

There was no letter for him today. Well, there was one from his mother and a scroll with recent information on Iwa from the Hokage, but nothing else. It was unpleasant having his routine disrupted. Lately, he always received a letter from Sakura now. Every week.

There were multiple possible reasons why she hadn't replied, but Itachi couldn't think of which one. And he didn't like not knowing. He was the type of person who preferred to know everything that was going on. No, he was not nosy, but he did like to know everything. It was simply who he was. Missing even the smallest piece of information could be fatal. Granted, not receiving a letter from a kunoichi he was not even attached to was not fatal and actually made him sound like quite the drama queen, but it was still enough to get his mind going.

Had he somehow offended her? Was she on a mission? Did she grow tired of him? Was she putting off replying to him, pegging him as unimportant?

Damn it. Now he sounded as though he was self-conscious. Itachi was not any of those things – he was merely curious. What if he _had_ offended her? It wouldn't have mattered had she not been his brother's teammate, meaning she was quite often at their home and visiting Sasuke. Things would be awkward and Itachi disliked things feeling uncomfortable. He preferred for people to be honest with him. If he did something or said something they found offensive, then Itachi was not above apologising for what he had done if he had, in fact, stepped out of line.

Once back inside his cabin, Itachi rubbed his eyes tiredly. His mind was working into overdrive due to no sleep in the past three days and he knew he had to find some time to sleep soon, otherwise he would crash. But that was just the point. He could not go to sleep. Not because he didn't want to, because Itachi would _really_ like to go to sleep. It was because there had been sightings of Iwa-nin heading in their direction. They would be easily spotted and taken care of, but if they were getting close to Fire Country's border, then it was Itachi's job to make sure that they did not pass it without some form of identification and proof that it was imperative they went through.

Perimeter runs had been doubled in their designated area and Itachi had gotten in contact with the other captains, suggesting that they do the same. Of course, Hatake Kakashi being the admirable strategist that he was known as, had already done so, but thanked Itachi for his advice.

If Iwa-nin were finally closing in, then it meant that the war between their villages had begun and it had Itachi releasing a heavy sigh. He and Shisui had done all they could to avoid such a thing happening. Instead of killing their enemies, Shisui had used his sharingan on the captains of the teams, making them believe that there was no need for such violence. Only now did it occur to them that it had been the wrong thing to do. Not only had it not worked, but now, Shisui's eyes had deteriorated badly.

"Itachi-senpai," a calm voice spoke a second after there was a knock.

Unless outside of base camp, they could use their names. On one of the other ANBU teams, they had a shinobi who was an expert with seals and he had created a powerful seal for their entire area to make sure nothing they said ever got out. Of course they were still wary and used each other's names as little as possible. Itachi himself usually settled with using code names, but he knew the other men preferred being called by their given name. He couldn't blame them for that. It reminded them of who they really were. Not killers, but men. They were people.

"What is it, Tenzo-senpai?"

Tenzo had many different names as far as Itachi was aware of. At first it had been Kinoe, then Tenzo and for a short period of time, it had been Yamato. The final name was when he was a temporary captain for Team Seven. Now, Itachi called him by the name "Tenzo". Back during their earlier days in ANBU, when he had been placed in Kakashi's squad, he had discovered that the wood-user preferred that name than the others. It held meaning to him.

"We're running dangerously low on space," he informed Itachi. "And tensions are running high. Some of the men who are still not ANBU are beginning to complain. They haven't been taught like we have, so they don't know when to be quiet and accept it."

In response, Itachi sighed. Great. That was exactly what he needed. Men acting like hormone crazed teenagers. Yes, Itachi was aware of the tension rising within their camp and he was aware of the uncomfortable feeling in the air. Some of the men wished for their own space so that they could deal with that certain tension in their bodies, since being in a room filled with many other men was not what somebody needed while trying to relieve themselves of that frustration.

"I'm beginning to wonder whether any these men will ever be cut out for ANBU," Itachi told Tenzo honestly and tilting his head, he gestured for the wood-user to enter. They had become somewhat friends during their time on Team Ro and Itachi would not deny that he was comfortable around the older man. "Compared to other missions, this should be nothing."

"They're not used to this like we are." The brunet gave a soft shrug, taking a seat opposite the Uchiha captain. "Some of these men haven't been taught like we have, and have only been sent here because of their battle skills. I know in my temporary team, two of them are just about jōnin. The only things they know about ANBU is that we must be secretive and wary of the things we say. And they only learned those things because of the letters they send their families or friends."

"That is no excuse for the way they are currently acting."

Tenzo nodded once in agreement. "No, it's not. But they're still men. Itachi-senpai, this may seem rather personal, but unlike either of us, they have wives. Those wives, before these seven or eight months, have always been around them, ready to satisfy those certain needs. It doesn't excuse the way they're behaving as they should always remember that they're shinobi first, but you shouldn't be so hard on them. They miss their wives."

No, they missed their wives' bodies. Maybe that was harsh but it was true. They hadn't been pining as badly for them until Tenten arrived. It was pathetic. How did any of those men even pass as suitable to come out to the camp? Had nobody informed them that this was what being a shinobi was about? They had to endure it. Sacrifices had to be made. This was nothing compared to what it could be like. So what they had to go a while without sex? They were acting as though it was the worst thing to ever happen to them.

Taking a deep breath, Itachi forced himself to let it go. Like Tenzo had said: they were not ANBU, but with the way the were going, they were never going to be. His team had gone over eighteen months without sexual contact and they hadn't complained once. Yes, there was the odd morning or night when certain members of his team would sneak off to deal with a certain problem they were having, but that was all. They didn't go on and on about it like whining school girls.

"If it is not a problem, will you build four more cabins?" Itachi asked, reopening his eyes so that he could look at Tenzo. When the man nodded, he then added, "I am sure you know where they should be placed?" Again, another nod. "Nothing extravagant, Tenzo-senpai. Simple cabins built with nothing more than a single room."

"Of course, Itachi-senpai." Standing up, Tenzo made his way out the door. "Will you be deciding who stays where, or shall I?"

There was a moment of silence where Itachi thought about it. "Wait until everybody has returned. Gather everybody once they have, as we seem to need to go over certain issues."

Inwardly, Tenzo grimaced.

* * *

Uchiha Itachi was not happy with how the others were acting.

The teams were in trouble.

Glancing around him, Tenzo nodded once. Since the cabins were only basic, it hadn't taken too much of his chakra. In fact, he still had plenty left and if he ate something fairly soon, then he would be back to full.

Instead of there being seven cabins, there were now eleven – twelve if one included the storage cabin where all weaponry and food was stored. It was much larger than other base camps, so now they would be required to take extra precautions. The whole point of three ANBU teams being at base camp four, right in the centre, was to surprise any shinobi who believed the camp would be the weakest. From a single glance, without really paying attention, they seemed fairly weak, which was exactly what they wanted. And they continued surprising their enemies because every time they came, Shisui used his technique and made them forget about who they fought, making them believe they were nothing more than chūnin, or jōnin at best.

All captains (three altogether) had their own cabin. The captains were himself, Uchiha Itachi and another male named Toshi.

Altogether, there were four people on every team except for Uchiha Itachi's, where there were only three of them - Itachi, Shisui and Neji. It was unusual for one team to hold many with eyes such as theirs, but it had been put together by the Hokage for just this mission of watching the border. Really, the teams meant little unless they were doing a perimeter run or battle. In his team were Sai and the two recently made jōnin who usually assisted the Hokage, Izumo and Kotetsu.

Honestly, Tenzo had hoped that he would have been given Genma, as the man was extremely talented with weaponry and he preferred to have a mixture of different strengths on his team. Well, he did still have that mixture, but Genma was very handy to have on the battlefield (his relationship with none other than Shizune had taught him a few things on medical ninjutsu, too). However, Genma was one of three who had been selected to guard the Hokage and had been since the Yondaime. Due to there possibly being a war, he wasn't supposed to leave her side unless there was an emergency and he absolutely had to.

"Let me see here," Tenzo mumbled to himself, one of his arms crossing over his middle while his other elbow used it to lean on, his hand cupping his chin in thought. "Eleven cabins. Three for the captains. One for Shisui-san and Neji-san. Another for Lee, Sai, Izumo and Kotetsu. Nope, two for those four." Sai apparently made one of them uneasy with his 'need to draw everything that fascinates him'. Childish, if you asked Tenzo. "That's six already. Then we have five left over. Hm…"

"Is something wrong, Tenzo-taichou?"

Looking down at the bland voice, Tenzo sighed. Sai. Like him, the boy was former ROOT, but unfortunately, he had not had somebody like Hatake Kakashi there to save him from Danzo.

Thinking about it, Tenzo supposed he owed quite a lot to the Copy-Nin, although he hoped he had repaid his debts by taking over Team Seven - even if it had only been for a short while. He wasn't sure it he could continue with being the dysfunctional team's captain. Well, it wasn't so much that the team was dysfunctional, as their teamwork was something to admire, but Naruto and Sasuke's constant bickering had almost driven him insane. Then, he had to add the emotionless Sai (who had been a member during Naruto's absence) who was utterly clueless when it came to social interactions, often leading him to say the wrong thing at the wrong time and start the next world war. It was a hopeless mess, if you asked him.

"Itachi-senpai asked me to create more cabins, as some of the others are getting uncomfortable with sharing."

"Ridiculous," Sai muttered and glanced over his shoulder at two of the members from his current team. They were lazing about, doing absolutely nothing. In fact, they had been doing that since around the time Team Gai arrived. Tenzo had called them out on it politely just that morning, but it seemed he would have to lay down the law, unfortunately for them. "Are they not aware that, to make ANBU or ROOT, you have to put up with these things? We are shinobi. We do not get five star inns all the time."

"That we don't." Tenzo sighed once more, undoubtedly grateful for the wise boy's presence amongst the chaos the camp had descended into. "But let's not forget that not all of these men have been brought up the way we personally have, Sai. As for those two-" He did a discreet head gesture towards the two Sai's words were mostly aimed at. "-they're not even used to leaving the village all that often. They were sent with us to help out with information gathering and more political matters."

Sai nodded once. "So things they usually help Hokage-sama with?"

"Indeed."

Glancing to the cabins with a contemplative gaze, he questioned, "Is there something wrong with the cabins?"

He shook his head in response to the question. No, nothing was wrong with them. If there was then that meant there was something wrong with _him_ , as wood would always be a part of him. "No. I think there may be a few too many."

"Interrogation cabin." Sai pointed at the cabin in the dead centre. Then, he pointed to another. "Somewhere to eat. I have heard a few complaints about eating outside at this time of year. Bugs are beginning to fly around and are attracted to food. How many are left over?"

That wasn't a bad idea, actually. Tenzo looked thoughtful once more, as he did several recounts, just to be certain he hadn't made an error somewhere. But even if they went with Sai's idea, they still had three left over. What could they possibly-

Of course! Two more for the other team, which would mean two to each cabin. One left over. "There's one left over."

"A guest cabin," said another voice from behind them. When they turned, they noticed Neji standing there.

"I don't mind sharing with Lee-san, but he has a habit of waking up much earlier than myself and ends up waking me up, too, meaning I don't get as much sleep as I would like or need," Sai added with a nod.

On several occasions during the past week and a half, quite a few people had complained about Lee's habits. Tenzo had always calmly told them that he was simply doing what he had ever since graduating from the academy, before then even, to which they would snap out a reply such as, " _Can't he take a freaking break? We already wake up early after little sleep, meaning we're not going to be at our best should anybody attack_ ". Again, in Tenzo's eyes, they were being childish. In all honesty, if he could, he would have contacted the Hokage many times by now and asked her to swap around the teams. Their constant complaining and whining was giving him an even bigger headache than the one he had as a temporary captain on Team Seven. Even Uchiha Itachi was beginning to lose his patience and that was seriously saying something. In all the time he had known the Uchiha, Itachi never lost his temper once. He was always calm and composed. Ready. Patient. Emotionless.

"That sounds like a good idea," Tenzo told both Sai and Neji with a smile. "I'll run it by Itachi-senpai and Toshi-senpai before we decide anything, though." They both nodded once, but just as Sai opened his mouth to say something, Tenzo tensed as a familiar sensation caused his stomach to knot with dread. His hand was burning. Frowning, the brunet glanced down, but his eyes widened with a mixture of different emotions. Shit! "Neji-san," he kept his voice composed, but there was an obvious urgency to his tone. "Please activate your byakugan and look in the direction of Konoha."

With a momentary frown, Neji nodded before turning to face south and activating his byakugan. A second later Tenzo felt his insides turn cold when Neji narrowed his eyes dangerously and growled under his breath. Like Itachi, the Hyuuga was usually very in control of his emotions. "Iwa-nin, all around jōnin rank, have managed to get through. Several platoons." Looking in a different direction, his fists clenched. "Base camp two is in ruins. They will need medical assistance immediately."

"What about the Iwa-nin?" Tenzo practically demanded, much to their surprise. "Are they in the middle of battle?"

At this, Neji's eyes also widened. "This chakra… Uzumaki Naruto and the rest of his team have confronted them. They are battling as we speak. However, it seems Naruto's seal has weakened considerably. He has been separated from Sakura and Sasuke."

That was all Tenzo needed to know. Of course Neji wouldn't be aware of the fact that Naruto was attempting to control the Kyuubi, which was why his seal was currently so weak. "Neji-san, please stay here and keep focusing on the border around base camp two's area for more Iwa-nin. Sai, go to Itachi-senpai and inform him of what you have just found out and mention three tails. Tell him I need back up."

Sai's eyes widened. "Taichou, you can't–"

"Naruto needs me right now to control the Kyuubi. If his watcher is incapable of doing so, that responsibility falls to myself, Uchiha Itachi or Uchiha Shisui."

With that, he disappeared.

* * *

It seemed he would not be catching much of a break.

Resisting the urge to sigh as Sai came to an abrupt stop at the doorway of his cabin, calling his name, Itachi stood and turned, quietly questioning what the issue was. He'd been ready to sit down and finally eat his breakfast, despite the fact that it was way past noon already. Apparently, that would not be the case. It would be yet another meal of his that would be regretfully wasted.

"There is a battle. Ten miles south of us. It seems base camp two has been infiltrated and Iwa-nin have now entered Fire Country. Neji-san confirmed that the team being attacked is none other than Team Seven. Tenzo-taichou has already set out and is preparing himself in case the Kyuubi is released."

So that was why Sakura had not replied.

Wait. What on earth was he thinking? Now wasn't the time for such petty thoughts. A team belonging to their village was under attack. His brother's team.

"What else do you know?" Itachi asked, grabbing his mask from the table in his cabin and placing it over his face. Making his way to the door where the shinobi was currently standing, he slipped on his sandals.

"Three tails. That was all Tenzo-taichou would tell us. Neji-san, however, told us that there are several platoons of Iwa-nin, all of jōnin rank or higher and all heading straight to Konoha."

"Alert Shisui and tell him to keep guard here in case any more Iwa-nin try to slip by us. Neji-san and Tenten-san are also to stay here. Sai-san, you and Lee-san will follow after me once you have done these things. The rest will stand guard here."

Itachi was gone before he could say anything more.

* * *

Just as she lunged into the air, ready to dive on her enemy, Sakura saw at the last second the Iwa-nin throwing several kunai at her. He would have to do better than that – the basic trap had happened to her before, during the chūnin exams (that wasn't to say she'd fallen for such a pitiful trap, she'd simply allowed them to think they'd managed to wound her so she'd be capable of closing the distance between them). Her arms and legs raised in front of her torso and neck protectively and Sakura held back a grunt of pain as they sliced into her skin, stabbing her, but a second later, she was straightening out and pulling back her fist, chakra enveloping it.

It all happened in the span of three seconds.

And then the area was splitting, crumbling, _quaking_. Large pieces of earth were being thrown around as a gigantic crater was formed when she slammed the Iwa-nin into the ground, her fist going straight through his chest until it reached hardened soil that was barely covered by grass.

Her eyes were wild yet calculating as she surveyed the area, taking a moment to check on her team. Sasuke wasn't fighting as well as he usually did thanks to his eyes not being one hundred percent healed, but he was surviving. As for Naruto–

Shit.

She quickly ducked, avoiding the kunai that would have no doubt gone straight through her skull had it hit. Hands dropping to the ground, her foot lashed out, hitting her approaching opponent in the jaw and sending him flying through the air and into tree after tree.

A large fire jutsu had Sakura leaping backwards, her eyes widening as she heard Sasuke's grunt of pain. That idiot! He'd activated his sharingan. Darting forward, Sakura tackled the shinobi who was about to stab her teammate in the back to the ground, using his own kunai against him as she slit his throat. She didn't waste any time thinking about what she had just done and instead jumped onto her feet, her back brushing against Sasuke's.

"I told you not to activate it!"

"Shut up, Sakura," he growled. "I need to get to Naruto – he's up to four tails. Focus on your own battle."

That was right! He was Naruto's watcher, so needed to–

"Get down!"

Sasuke quickly knocked her to the ground, shielding her with his own body as many, _many_ kunai were thrown towards them. Was it a catapult? Or had their enemies gotten their hands on scrolls like Tenten's? Luckily (though she wouldn't tell Sasuke that, as she would never encourage him going against her strict medical advice), they went right over their heads and missed them completely. Getting back to his feet once the assault was over, Sasuke yanked Sakura against him, just barely avoiding having her head crushed by a boulder-like fist.

Before the man could even react, Sakura whirled around, gathered as much chakra as she could into her fist, and slammed it into his face. He tried to resist for a moment, his face pushing against her fist, but she merely added more chakra and growled. He didn't stand a chance and a moment later, like the other Iwa-nin, he was being thrown across the clearing, taking a few others with him.

How long had they been fighting? Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes? However long it was, it was bad. Naruto had seen her take a kunai to the shoulder and lost control. It had never been so easy to get the Kyuubi riled up before. Granted, it had been rather dramatic, what with her cry of pain (despite her flak jacket stopping it from cutting too deep) and the Iwa-nin all letting out battle screams while charging at them. Was there really any need to do that? They were a team of three shinobi. For all they knew, they could have been weak.

Who was she kidding? Everybody had heard of Team Seven. The Kyuubi taking control of Naruto, her pink hair and the Uchiha emblem on the jōnin uniform of Sasuke's shoulder only confirmed their suspicions.

They just kept coming. One platoon of Iwa-nin after another!

"Ambush," Sasuke told her, not even needing to look at her to know what she was thinking.

Once again, his back was against hers as they glared at the shinobi surrounding them, circling slowly.

"Eyes?"

Sasuke grunted.

Not good.

Just as she raised her fists, blue chakra beginning to surround them, two figures dropped to hers and Sasuke's sides, making her eyes widen with pleasant surprise. It was Sai, although she couldn't tell who the other was, considering he had his ANBU mask on. Another two men suddenly darted passed them, heading in the direction Naruto had gone in and instantly, Sakura knew it was Lee and Yamato. Or Tenzo. Whatever name he chose to go by these days.

"Hi, Ugly."

Her left eye twitched. "Sai."

The next voice had her body tensing. "Sasuke. Cherry-san."

Cherry-san? He called her 'Cherry-san'! And other than Tsunade and Sasuke, only one other person knew that name. Which could only mean…

It was Itachi.

She couldn't explain the fluttering in her stomach, the one she always got when she received his letters, as he wasn't even looking at her. Neither was Sai, for that matter. All of them had their backs to each other, observing their enemies. Sasuke grunted in acknowledgement to his older brother, but completely ignored Sai, just like Sai ignored him. They had never gotten along.

"You were not given permission to cross our borders," Itachi suddenly spoke to the Iwa–nin surrounding them. It seemed they didn't know who they were standing before, since none of them backed away or gave up with their glaring. "Explain yourselves."

"We don't need to answer to bastards like you," one Iwa–nin spat.

"Is that so?" Itachi asked smoothly, appearing almost bored. "Not only are you trespassing, but you also attacked one of our teams. Rather idiotic, if you ask me."

"Nobody is asking you. We're here for the good for nothing Uchiha scum!"

Sakura couldn't help but tense at their words, suddenly more aware of the two men behind her when she felt Sasuke's cold reaction. But how would they know that it was Itachi standing before them? Surely-

No, they couldn't tell, she realised with building dread as she took in the sight of their hateful gazes. They were glaring straight at Sasuke and she had to resist the urge to grab his arm, eyes narrowing dangerously. "You attacked us to try and either capture my teammate or kill him, right?"

"We don't answer to weak females, Pinky."

Always being underestimated. Gods it pissed her off so much. Instead of showing that anger in anything other than the tick in her eyebrow and her words, Sakura replied, "Come up with better insults, idiot."

"What the hell did you just call me?" he yelled in response. "I'll kill you, you whore!"

And so the battle resumed.

They had discovered one thing, if one was to ask if anything good came of that day (in terms of progress on the war). Iwa wanted either Uchiha Sasuke dead, or the entire clan. But they needed more information on that first before they sent the latest development to Tsunade.

Using her arm, she blocked the punch that was aimed for her throat and with one swift movement, she twisted the man's – who had called her not only weak, but also a whore – arm behind his back, using him as a shield to deflect yet another barrage of kunai that had been aiming at her. He was dead before he even hit the ground.

In the back of her mind, Sakura knew that all of the deaths she'd caused were going to come back to her. But not right now. Her mind was too focused on battle and her body was practically vibrating with adrenaline. But tonight, when she would be laying in bed, hoping to sleep, all the thoughts that were not invading her mind right at that moment in time were going to jump her. They always did.

Feeling and hearing more than seeing yet another fire jutsu, Sakura grabbed more Iwa-nin and launched them towards it, ignoring their howls of pain as best as she could. From the sheer size of the fireball, she was guessing it was Itachi and not Sasuke.

Two black and white beasts suddenly appeared by her sides, tearing into the shinobi who had been attempting at sneaking up on her and she nodded once to Sai, giving him her thanks silently. There was nothing wrong with accepting help every now and then, just as long as she wasn't being constantly saved, making her appear as weak.

A part of her always got excited for battle. Was that wrong of her? No, she did not enjoy killing, but she enjoyed fighting. She enjoyed the rush it would bring her. It was so chaotic and the first few times she'd entered battle as one of two medics who could fight on the front lines, she'd quickly become overwhelmed. Being overwhelmed was still a possibility, though she did her utmost to keep her mind on track.

Shockingly blond hair as well as an unmistakably orange and black outfit suddenly appeared in her line of vision and Sakura couldn't help but sigh in relief when she saw Naruto was once more in control. Yes, it had definitely been their temporary team captain, Yamato. Or Tenzo. The whole thing was confusing to her, really. One moment, he was Yamato, but others would call him Tenzo. Did he willingly change his name over and over again? Why would he do that? It was kind of aggravating, because Sakura had no idea what she was supposed to call hi–

An arm wrapped around her middle, yanking her backwards and out of the way of what could only be described as an arm made out of rock. It reminded her of Choji's expansion jutsu, but this arm appeared to be solid like a rock and also had a stone's colouring.

"Watch yourself, Cherry-san," a voice spoke in her ear and Sakura couldn't deny that she had to hold back a shiver when his hair slipped forward, tickling her neck. "This is no time to let your mind wander."

And then Itachi was gone.

Forcing down the blush on her cheeks and ignoring the way his body had felt against hers, Sakura jumped straight back into the battle beside Naruto and a moment later, Sasuke dropped at Naruto's other side. She would deal with the traitorous thoughts after.

And as always, she felt herself shoving aside her excitement, her glee, as her team stepped forward, stances prepared for ending the battle together.

They were the infamous Team Seven. If somebody wanted to kill one of their members, they would have to kill them all because there was not a chance in hell that any of them were going to die any time soon. It was childish to think such a way, they all knew that, but it was the truth. Nobody threatened their team. Nobody spoke so boldly of wishing to kill their teammates, their friends, unless they had a death wish. She would protect them with everything she had, just as she knew they would for her.

Once again, Sasuke activated his sharingan, shoving the burning he felt out of his mind as he glared murderously at the shinobi before them. Outside of battle, he was cool and distant, preferring to appear as emotionless unless he was with his precious people. In battle, he was harsh, ruthless and unforgiving and definitely not somebody you wanted to get on the wrong side of. It was what she admired most about him - the way he'd opened up so willingly, so happily, with their team.

Naruto crouched into an almost animalistic fighting stance, ready to pounce. She knew he did not like killing people, however, the shinobi before them were threatening his home, his friends. They had hurt her. She knew that in his eyes, that was unforgivable and as he always said: one day, he was definitely going to be Hokage, so he needed to be able to protect his friends.

Watching them with narrowed eyes, Sakura tugged at one of her gloves, summoning her chakra for the final round. The group of four behind them had dispatched of the other Iwa-nin, keeping the leader of the teams alive and under a paralysing genjutsu so that they could interrogate him.

Eyes snapping up to the shinobi before her once again, Sakura settled her features into a determined mask. She would not let a single one of them capture or kill Sasuke. Or anybody else belonging to the Uchiha clan.

It was with that thought that the three darted forward, each of them prepared to finally end the already prolonged battle.

* * *

The journey back to base camp four was long and tiring, mostly because they had to go to base camp two, first. It had been utterly destroyed, but thankfully, there were no deaths. Many had been wounded and with the basic medical knowledge all ANBU knew, Sai, Tenzo and Itachi got to stitching and bandaging up the ones Sakura did not heal. She focused more on the serious injuries, the ones who needed her chakra to save them. Even Naruto and Sasuke had helped out, assisting her whenever she needed help. Tenzo also rebuilt the cabins for them.

That had taken around four or five hours and during that time, Sai sent an emergency message to Tsunade, informing her of what had happened. No doubt when the blonde received his message, she would growl, yell and curse. And then perhaps start throwing things. She knew her shishou well, after all.

Once they finally arrived at base camp four, Sakura was utterly exhausted and just barely capable of walking without having to use Naruto to lean on. Also, while he didn't mention anything, she knew that Sasuke's eyes were hurting him. It was in the way he had focused extremely hard when they had been running through the trees.

She felt so guilty. What if they became even more damaged? Sakura was aware that it wasn't entirely her fault, for she had warned him about activating his sharingan, but it had been her who so desperately wanted Sasuke to join her and Naruto. Not only because he would enjoy seeing his older brother for the first time in months, but also because–

Already, Sakura could understand what Tenten had been warning Tsunade of.

It appeared as though everybody was outside, sitting around a camp fire as they conversed with one another. They were all on high alert though and it only confirmed her suspicions when all men suddenly turned towards them, their eyes lingering on her much longer than they did the rest.

Naruto growled warningly.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

She heard a quiet sigh of annoyance come from the man in front of her, leading her to look up at him warily when Itachi shifted ever so slightly, angling his body in such a way that it demanded their attention to be on him, instead of her.

Honestly, it was unnerving as hell and she didn't fail to notice Tenten's sigh of relief when all attention was ripped away from her. It had her wondering, however, whether they all had been driven insane from lack of human contact and had death wishes, because attempting to mentally undress her not only in front of her, but also her teammates (who were in foul moods), was suicidal.

However, she couldn't let her uncertainty or anger show. She was there for a reason. She had a part to play. Although she rephrased her question of "does anyone require healing", as more than likely, they would all say that they needed her assistance. Rolling her eyes, she glanced at those who had been in battle with her earlier that day. "Do you need healing at all, Lee-san, Uchiha-taichou, Yamato-taichou, Sai?"

When the three ANBU operatives replied negatively, she nodded once in acceptance, unable to keep from smiling when Lee exuded his familiar loud presence, exclaiming with a grin, "No, thank you, Sakura-san!"

"Sakura." Tenzo gave her a smile. "Yamato was a code name. Call me Tenzo instead."

"Okay, taichou. You two." She looked at her teammates. "No arguments. You're being healed." Sasuke was a hell of a lot more injured than Naruto (his eyes), but she knew better than to say such a thing in front of everyone. "Uchiha-taichou, is there somewhere I can examine them in private?"

He was silent for a moment, thinking it over. "There should be a spare cabin near the back. Tenzo-senpai will guide you to it."

"Thank you."

And with that, they were heading off in the direction of the cabin, Sakura inwardly growling as she felt the eyes lingering on her ass.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto mumbled, glancing over his shoulder and frowning at the heated looks she was receiving. He shifted his position so he was behind her, as though shielding her from their eyes. "They're all staring at you like they want to eat you."

"You will have to excuse them." Tenzo sighed and it was obvious that he was annoyed. "It appears as though most of the men here have come down with a sudden need for sexual contact. Do not worry, however, Sakura. They have all been warned before, when Tenten first arrived, that they are not to try anything unless either of you are one hundred percent willing."

This time, it was outwardly that she growled. "Tenzo-taichou, most of them are married!"

Again, he sighed. "I know."

Once shown to the cabin, which Tenzo had informed them was their cabin, Sakura wasted no time in healing her teammates and herself of their wounds and once they were out of the way, she focused completely on Sasuke's eyes. She sensed more than watched as Naruto grabbed himself a clean set of clothing, no doubt intent on showering and she ordered more than asked that he shut the curtains (she was eternally grateful for them, as it meant she would be able to change without fretting over being watched) and lit a single candle. She was well aware of how sensitive Sasuke's eyes were going to be.

"I'm sorry," she told him, her chakra soothing and comforting as it worked through clearing the chakra pathways in his eyes. They were much thinner than the ones around his body, so Sakura knew she had to be a hell of a lot more delicate, as one wrong move and she could blind him or damage his sharingan permanently. "I should never have lied to–"

"I don't blame you, Sakura. You gave me instructions to follow and I ignored them."

"We're both to blame then." She couldn't let him take the blame for the mess they were in. It had been her pushing that had Sasuke coming out to the border with them. "For tonight, try to rest your eyes. I've cleared the chakra pathways leading to your eyes as much as I can, but right now my chakra is too low and I can't risk damaging your eyes further. Once I've eaten and taken a nap, I can–"

He cut her off with a smirk. "Go and take a shower, first. You stink. In the morning you can heal my eyes."

"Shower? I can't–"

She knew from the way his expression darkened that Sasuke was recalling the looks she had received, understanding her anxiety perfectly. "I'll stand at the entrance and keep others out."

It was terrifying to think, but if they reacted in a such a Neanderthal way while she was wearing a standard issued jōnin uniform, then how would they react if they happened to stumble across her in the shower? Gods, she dreaded to think, as just the thought made her feel sick. Having Sasuke watch over her wouldn't be half as bad considering Team Seven had all seen each other naked when the team visited unisex baths, not able to stop anywhere else (it only occurred to them after a while, however, that it was always Naruto who pointed out those certain bathhouses and by that time, they were all too worn out to argue).

Her uniform was nothing special. The pants were formfitting, as was the sweatshirt that was currently hidden beneath her flak jacket, but that was because she disliked loosely fitted clothes. They were easier to grab onto and even Ino agreed with her on that. Then again, the blonde was known for her revealing outfits. Should she have ordered a new uniform in the next size?

Sighing, Sakura extracted her chakra and stood up, picking up her bag to take to the showers with her. Hopefully it wouldn't be an outdoor type, where there were only stalls and a shower head. If it was, she was going to need something like a very strong genjutsu to stop the men from spying on her.

Like when arriving, the men watched her as she and Sasuke walked by them. Fortunately for them both, Tenten seemed to understand what they were doing as she recognised the direction they were heading in. She climbed to her feet quickly and chased after them.

"Sakura, Sasuke!"

They paused, turning to face the brunette. "Is something wrong, Tenten-san?"

She shook her head at Sakura's question, giving her a small smile. "I'd like to think that, if our roles were reversed, you'd do this for me, too. Sasuke, instead of you watching out for those guys, I'll watch over her. There's a cubicle further away from the door and there's not a chance of anybody seeing her if I'm standing in front of it." They were both reasonably wary and she gave them more of a reassuring smile. "I promise, Sakura, I won't let any guys through. It will save you both so much time, this way. You can both shower."

After only a mere second of thinking, Sakura nodded gratefully. "Thanks for this, Tenten-san. If you ever need me to do the same, just ask."

Waving a dismissive hand, Tenten shrugged. "You don't need to thank me, but I'll definitely be cashing in for that offer. The men around here are like animals! Lee keeps challenging them all to sparring matches, trying to keep them away from me. It's so stupid."

Indeed it was. "They haven't given you too much trouble, have they?"

"No. They're harmless really, but it's _that_ look, you know?"

Of course. All women knew 'that look'. Unless you wanted to receive it, it was completely unwelcome and in some cases, utterly terrifying.

"What look?" Sasuke asked.

The two kunoichi exchanged glances, Tenten blushing ever so slightly when Sakura turned her head to the side and, rather bluntly, told him, "The look that tells you you're about to have your clothes ripped off before you're ravished."

Used to her blunt speech by now, Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Of course, Sakura was well aware that it wasn't only women who received such looks, for her teammates had received them many times in the past and she knew that they made Sasuke extremely uncomfortable. The other two were his complete opposites, however and relished in the attention, welcoming it wholeheartedly like the perverts they were known to be.

It was near silent as they reached the showers and, much to her gratefulness, she found that Tenzo had created walls and a roof when Tenten arrived to try and give her more privacy. At the far end of the stalls was their third teammate, his out of tune singing while he scrubbed away at his body making her momentarily roll her eyes and smile.

But then she stopped uncomfortably as Sasuke placed his bag down and pulled his shirt over his head, pausing when he sensed she'd stopped, merely watching as Tenten continued walking forward.

What if someone _was_ watching? What if they were biding their time, waiting for even the smallest of glimpses at her? Only her team and Gaara had seen her naked and for now, that was more than enough for her - if anything, in some ways, it was too much for her. She didn't want anyone seeing her naked.

Much to her gratefulness, Sasuke nodded once, silently assuring her that he would keep an eye on the entrance while also showering (he proved that by choosing a cubicle only a few down from hers, giving him a clear view of the entrance as well as the top of Sakura's head).

Naruto's singing was louder than before after he poked his head out of his cubicle, also sparing a suspicious glare at the entrance until he angled his body sideways, ensuring he was watching it at all times.

It had her smiling gratefully at hers boys, sparing only a moment to undress herself and fold her clothes, placing them neatly beside her bag on the bench opposite. Then, she lipped into the shower, the brunette turning her back on Sakura and folding her arms over her chest, features setting into a deadly glower. It worked away the last of her anxiety, because she could tell just from that one expression alone that if somebody somehow managed to get by not only Naruto, but also Sasuke, then she would personally see to it that that particular man would not be walking out of there any time soon.

With their help, she knew she would be capable of healing her comrades, in turn supporting them as they protected their village.


	8. Only When I'm Gone

**Chapter 7**

**Only When I'm Gone**

* * *

Like she had originally thought: Neji put up no fight with having her examine his eyes. He told her everything she asked about and thankfully, other than mild eye strain, he was perfectly healthy. Sakura was no optician, so she could do nothing about mere eye strain other than prescribe him some eye drops. Unfortunately, however, she had none and the base camp was hardly a place to create some as it was not sterile enough. So instead she wrote it down, making a note to let Tsunade know of their needing eye drops.

Surprisingly (to her, at least), Uchiha Shisui was her most difficult patient. He repeatedly informed her that his eyes were fine, that he had a mere headache and it was nothing to worry about. However, she knew he was lying to her. Not only because his sharingan was activated (reminding her of Tsunade's previous words of how he could barely see a thing without it), but because Neji had scoffed, telling him to get it over with, otherwise his blindness would worsen. He hadn't stuck around for the fallout of his harsh words, but Sakura had seen how they got to Shisui, leaving him to quietly admit to her that he didn't want to be sent back to the village. He'd been careless, he confessed. After all, despite all his best efforts to keep unnecessary fights from breaking out, they still did.

"Please, Shisui-san," Sakura said softly, watching him as he stood nearer to the wall than to her. She'd had her fair share of difficult patients in the past, but at least she knew that Uchiha Shisui would not get violent with her, like some of the others tried to. Well, she hoped he wouldn't. She wouldn't stand a chance. "I can heal whatever damage there is to yours eyes–"

"They are too severely damaged, Sakura-san," he replied patiently, guards shooting straight back up. "I am being blinded because of my sharingan. You cannot stop that."

"But I can try."

The way he cautiously stepped away from the wall informed her she had his attention.

Sakura knew that the only reason why he was even there in the first place was because Shisui wouldn't want her tearing the camp apart to find him. He'd rather have the disagreement in private, instead of having the others hear it. No doubt it would be humiliating for him.

"And how would you do that, may I ask? The mangekyō is not the same as Sasuke's sharingan and you cannot tell me that you have researched it. You need eyes like mine, Itachi's or even Sasuke's, to do so."

It warmed her heart that he was acknowledging the power in her teammate's eyes (for him to simply insinuate that they were good enough to read what only the mangekyō could meant so much), for she knew how big of a deal it was for him to have that power noticed. Sasuke treasured his sharingan, after all.

"I can take a look at your eyes, see how badly damaged they are and if I need to, I will stay longer to do several healing sessions. You're forgetting that my former sensei, Hatake Kakashi, also has the mangekyō."

Which she knew was incredibly strange. He claimed to have no idea how he received it, but Sakura could see in his eyes that he knew perfectly well when it happened. He just didn't want to talk about it. And she wouldn't force him to. It would be heartless of her, as his pain was obviously great, so Sakura instead settled on going along with it and doing everything she could. Perhaps one day, when he was comfortable with trusting her with such information, he would tell her his story.

"I've prevented his blindness so far, eradicating all chakra build up and soothing the burns. I will admit, however, that I haven't been able to completely cure his eye. Maybe now, after learning what I have about the sharingan, I may be able to."

"And how many other Uchiha have had their eyes repaired because of your research?"

"Last I heard from Tsunade-sama before we left: over thirty of your clansmen."

Silence.

Taking that as a good sign, she continued and took a step forward, saying, "After being given permission to research your eyes in your clan's library, I have learned so much that none of us knew before – not even Tsunade-sama. We're able to save many of your clansmen's eyes now. Tsunade-sama herself will be healing Fugaku-san's eyes some time soon if she hasn't already."

"And what about Mikoto-san? Is she also having her eyes healed?"

"Mikoto-san's eyes are not as powerful as her husband's and she doesn't use them nearly as much, but yes, Tsunade-sama will also be healing hers."

Slowly, so torturously slowly, Shisui finally agreed and approached the bed, sitting silently and crossing his legs before him. It was with a warm smile that she sat opposite him, copying his position, but even when sat down, the height difference was obvious and inwardly, she huffed with amusement when Shisui had to hunch over, bringing his face closer to hers.

"My chakra is foreign to you, so please don't push me out, Shisui-san. The eye is incredibly sensitive and by such a forceful exit, you could end up causing more damage." He nodded once, closing his eyes and relaxing. "I'll begin now."

Unlike with Neji or Sasuke, she was instantly met with the damage the second she placed her hands on Shisui's face, chakra struggling to even enter the pathways. She knew it was not Shisui's doing, or his attempting to keep her out. No, the build up of chakra and the engorged pathways were the cause. It was so great that she couldn't get through. Luckily for them, she was persistent.

"You're lucky you can use your sharingan at all, Shisui-san," she chided, eyebrows knitting together over her closed eyed. "But I'm guessing you force it to activate, right?"

"…Correct."

Irritation sparked within her and she sighed. "You Uchiha men are all the same. Seriously, I tell Sasuke-kun _not_ to activate his sharingan, as it will do more bad than good and what does he go and do?"

"Activates it?" There was a smirk on his lips, but she couldn't see it due to her eyes being closed. She could only hear it.

"And then the idiot told me to wait until today to heal his eyes, only when I got up to do so, he was out doing a perimeter run with Itachi-san and Tenzo-taichou." She paused for a moment, cracking one eye open. Shisui's eyes were still closed. "Oi, Shisui-san?" He hummed. "What do I call Itachi-san?"

A frown graced his features, but fortunately he knew better than to open his eyes while she was healing them. It seemed she didn't have to tell him that it would be disorientating and the light would give him a headache. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," she sighed again. "Yesterday, when he and the others came to back us up, he called me 'Cherry-san' like in our letters. But I don't know whether to call him Crow-san, Uchiha-san, Uchiha- _taichou_ , _Itachi-san_ or _Itachi-taichou!_ It's so frustrating."

Once again, Shisui was smirking. "Why don't you call him Itachi- _kun_?"

It took everything in Sakura not to clench her fists, since it would mess up her chakra flow, meaning she would change the consistency in healing his eyes and potentially damage them. Instead, she scoffed, "Do you really believe he would appreciate me calling him that in front of the others?"

"You call Sasuke that."

"That's because I've always called him 'Sasuke-kun'. It's more like a habit now. I drop the '–kun' suffix when I'm mad at him or deadly serious."

His smirk widened. "Scary."

"Absolutely terrifying," she agreed sarcastically, then rolled her eyes. "It's how he knows something is up and that I'm not joking around. Dropping the suffix has actually saved us many times while out on missions. If I notice something he's somehow missed, that's how I let him know, which then leads to him searching for what I'm pointing out. You get the rest, don't you?"

Shisui nodded. "That is quite smart, actually."

"And it was all my idea. If you asked Sasuke-kun, though, he'd probably say it was his."

"If you don't mind my asking, is it true that you and Sasuke–"

"You're on about those stupid rumours, right?" Sakura sighed when she felt Shisui nod his head once. It was so tiring constantly having to explain her bond with Sasuke. Hurtful, too. "No. We're not in a relationship, secretly planning on eloping and I am not knocked up with his bastard child." He gave a throaty chuckle. "It's not funny! At least once a week, somebody will come up to one of us with a new rumour. Last I heard, we were seen exiting the training grounds looking as though we did a little more than sparring."

He raised a curious eyebrow. "And did you?"

" _No_ ," Sakura snapped. "For crying out loud, Naruto was behind us!"

"Threesome." He shrugged. "Maybe that will be the new rumour."

A dejected sigh tore from her. Knowing her luck, it really would be the next rumour. "Don't even joke about that."

For a couple of moments, there was silence and the only sound that filled it was Sakura's continuous chakra flow. By that point, she had cleared a couple of his passageways, picking at the built up chakra and once it was loose, her own chakra enveloped it, causing it to break up further before fading away. Then, she did what she could to soothe the walls of his pathways, healing the friction burns. It was caused from repeatedly rubbing together whenever they swelled. She was still trying to figure out a way to prevent that from happening, from keeping them from being overloaded with chakra to the point of becoming engorged.

"Are you bothered by those rumours?"

"We both are," she answered him quietly, shifting in her position and causing their knees to bump together. "It's not easy, you know? People come up to us, even members of your clan, asking when he plans on proposing. They tell us we'd have adorable children and…"

Was it the tone of her voice, the crack in her voice, that made his eyebrows furrow? Sakura hoped he wouldn't try opening his eyes any time soon, instead granting her that moment of unseen weakness. "And, what?"

"And I want those things. Not with Sasuke-kun, of course. But one day I want to get married and have children, but with these rumours everybody is avoiding me like I have the plague. Nobody wants to 'step on Uchiha territory', which is a load of crap." Taking a deep breath, Sakura forced herself to calm down. "Neither Sasuke-kun nor Naruto have ever done anything to sabotage or intimidate any man I've been with, but despite that, only one man has attempted courting me. I just… It makes me feel a little useless, you know? Like I'm not even a woman."

She was surprised when his hand gently cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing away the tear she hadn't known was there. How had he? His eyes were closed! "Don't be upset about such things, Sakura-san. You are very obviously a woman and just the reaction the others had to your arrival tells you that. I know that, one day, you will have those things. Maybe not with who you planned on having them with, but you will be happy nonetheless. I'm sure he would not have it any other way."

A shaky chuckle escaped Sakura, but despite her next words, there was no denying she appreciated the comfort. "I'm sorry for burdening you like this."

He smiled at her and because she had recently opened her eyes, she could see the warm expression. Slowly, as to not offend her, his hand dropped from her cheek. "Not at all, Sakura-san."

"…Thank you, Shisui-san. For listening to me, I mean."

"Any time."

* * *

Healing Shisui's eyes had taken a lot out of her and they weren't even a quarter of the way healed, yet. There was still so much work left to do on them, but today, Sakura could only do so much. She still needed to examine Itachi's eyes and then save enough chakra to heal them, too. Gods, there was still Sasuke left to heal, too. Stubborn Uchiha! Sakura hoped Itachi knew better than to try and talk her out of healing his eyes like Shisui had tried to, or to disappear like Sasuke had.

What the hell was she thinking? If he was anything like Sasuke (and he had even said once that Sasuke _takes after_ him), then he was going to try and tell her that it wasn't necessary.

If what she had been told was still relevant, then Itachi was currently interrogating the leader of the Iwa-nin who had attacked them yesterday, so she knew she had some time to kill before she had to put herself to work again. She was glad for that, because it meant she could get something to eat and relax for a while, preparing herself. She could have used the time to heal Sasuke, but he was accompanying his older brother and from what she'd heard, Sai and Tenzo were both there too. When she enquired where the others were, Shisui had also informed her that Naruto was sparring with Lee (she shouldn't have asked, really, as she could hear their loud exclamations of surprise and excitement even while in Shisui's cabin). It was apparently where Neji had disappeared to after she healed his eyes (she knew Tenten would be watching the spar rather than lingering at the camp alone).

Damn it! She had wanted something to eat but they were all going to–

What? The other shinobi were going to what? Jump her? While it was true that she was low on chakra, Sakura knew that she had enough to land several decent chakra enhanced punches, should they try anything. She couldn't rely on men to save her from men. That made her look weak and pathetic. What those horny men needed was a woman to tell them to back the hell off, to remind them of their families back at home. Did they honestly believe that it wouldn't all somehow get back to those women? Not from her, obviously, but she wasn't the only female who was aware of the harassment.

Honestly, Sakura had done what she could to stay out of their way. She had eaten her breakfast with Team Gai and Naruto, then went straight to examining Neji's and Shisui's eyes. Last night after her shower she had gone straight to bed. But she couldn't live like that at the camp - she would become a paranoid recluse and that certainly wasn't a good look.

"Sakura-chan," Izumo greeted her with a grin. "Long time no see."

"How's Tsunade-sama coping without us?"

Inwardly grimacing, she tightened her hold on her food and accepted their offer for her to join them. At least she knew those two (hopefully) wouldn't try something with her. They had known Sakura since she was around thirteen years old. "Horribly." She sighed dramatically. "She misses you both like you wouldn't even believe."

Actually, Tsunade only missed having them there so she could boss them around and force them to do her paperwork, as well as smuggle in some sake. But what her dear shishou wasn't aware of was that Shizune had taken notice of what they had been doing and started keeping a closer eye on them both. So whenever Tsunade left the office, her assistant relentlessly searched for all bottles and confiscated them. It annoyed Tsunade to no end, because she was now suspicious of somebody drinking her secret stash.

"I knew it." Kotetsu sighed with mock sadness. "Our Hokage just cannot live without us, Izumo."

"I didn't think she would be able to," Izumo added with the same mock sadness. Raising a hand to his chest, he lowered his eyes to the table between them. "If I was with her now, I would tell her everything will be okay and hold her and never let her go."

Sakura blinked in surprise, freezing mid-bite. Well, that was a first. Usually those two tried avoiding her as much as possible. "She'd break you in half and you know it," she warned with a laughed. Hopefully, they were only joking about holding Tsunade, because the woman didn't take too kindly to things like that. The only signs of affection she had given Sakura was a pat on the head or a ruffling of the hair, while Naruto received a kiss on the forehead. Anything else was just a big no-no to her. "Besides, you guys were always trying to avoid her back in Konoha–"

"Things change, Sakura-chan," Kotetsu told her with a shrug. "Being out here for nearly eight months makes you appreciate the things you had and how easy they were."

Izumo nodded in agreement. "We're not even official jōnin. Hell, we never usually leave Konoha unless it's an absolute emergency. Now that I think about it, the longest we've ever been away from home is about two months."

While she tried to never question her shishou's decisions, that was one of the first things she'd thought when she heard of their deployment: they weren't even jōnin, yet everyone else at the camps were that or higher. Even Naruto was jōnin. She honestly couldn't help but feel sorry for them, because like they'd said, they usually sat behind a desk answering to Tsunade's demanding calls. They were her assistants and yes, Sakura knew that that meant they were the best for more diplomatic issues, but she couldn't help but feel bad. They were homesick, she noticed sadly.

"Having you here kind of makes us feel better, though. You're like a miniature Tsunade-sama."

Her left eye twitched.

"Yeah! All you need now are her huge br–"

Just as she opened her mouth, about to start screaming at them, a much calmer voice spoke up, "Perhaps it would be best to stop there, Izumo-san. I don't think Hokage-sama or Haruno-san would appreciate your crude words."

Izumo paled.

Thanking the Gods for his intervention, Sakura jumped up to her feet and turned to face him, not caring if she hadn't finished all of her food. But it startled her to discover the nerves that suddenly seized her throat, making her stomach flip-flop when she found he was much closer to her than expected. Where the hell had those nerves come from? Was it because Itachi was already watching her when she looked up at him? His expression smooth of all emotion, eyes meeting hers without hesitation, holding her gaze steadily?

_Why the hell did that make her nervous?_

Swallowing it down, she asked, "Does this mean you're free now, Uchiha-taichou?" He nodded once. "I've already examined everyone else. You're next."

"Very well."

Conversing with Itachi was much easier over letters, Sakura found as they silently made their way to his cabin. It didn't feel as intense, either. In person, it was like she was suddenly too shy to do something as simple as meet his eye. Whenever she did, she remembered how forward she'd been in her letters, insisting that he allowed her to take him to the festivals, threatening to punch him across the village and… Oh, Gods. What the hell was wrong with her? Why did she come across so cocky in their letters, but in person, had absolutely nothing to say?

Damn it, why the hell was she blushing when their eyes met after he'd opened his door, gesturing for her to go in first? Why was she so nervous? It was frustrating the life out of her. Wiping her hands on her pants, inwardly _screaming_ at herself to calm down, Sakura glanced around his cabin, noticing immediately that it was significantly larger than her own - bigger than Shisui's and Neji's, also. Like everyone else's, however, it was just as basic, consisting of beds, a table and chairs and a chest of drawers to put his clothes in.

It was just Itachi, Sakura snarled at herself. Just her teammate's older brother. They'd only been talking so that Sasuke would continue to hear from him and know that he was well.

Was it because he seemed so unsettlingly different from the rumours? They constantly made him out to be an emotionless monster, but from their letters alone, she'd come to the realisation that that wasn't the case. He was as human as the rest of them and even had a sense of humour. Sure, it was a little hard to understand and sometimes wasn't all that funny, but it was definitely there.

"Why are you nervous?"

As soon as he started speaking, she met his gaze, heart stuttering at the sight of his teasing smile, one that widened when she jumped at the sound of his door shutting.

Suddenly, she realised that how she was feeling right now, was probably how her friend, Hyuuga Hinata, felt on a daily basis. No words would form on her lips, despite the fact she was screaming at herself internally to get a grip and not for the first time, her cheeks raged with her blush. Gods, poor Hinata. It was maddening feeling so anxious. She'd only been experiencing it for a handful of minutes and already, she was aggravated beyond belief. And why the hell was Itachi _smirking_ at her like he found her sudden shyness funny? Who the hell did he think he was? It was all his fault that she-

"You did not respond to my letter, Sakura-san."

Was it wrong of her to enjoy the way her name sounded when he said it? Oh no. She was turning into those animals outside. Though, she supposed it _had_ been a while since she had last been with a man - not that that was really much of an excuse.

_Get a hold of yourself, damn it!_

"That's because I didn't see the point," Sakura answered eventually, her inner finally taking control and (mentally) beating her ass. Thank Gods for her! For a moment there, she had felt so out of character. "However," she stressed the word, smiling brightly. "I _did_ write a reply."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then where is it?"

"You're not having it."

"Then what was the point in writing it?"

"Because I'm going to give it to you."

Was she really teasing Uchiha Itachi? Was she really giving him a taste of his own medicine by answering so cryptically - or, at least, in such a confusing way? Yes, yes she was and Sakura found herself pleasantly amused when his expression smoothed out into a deadpan.

Her smile widened. "Before I leave. I will give you my reply before I leave."

"Is there any particular reason as to why?" he questioned, taking a seat in his chair once he had turned it in a different direction.

Grabbing the other, she lifted and brought it closer to Itachi's, gently placing it in front of him. Unlike when working with Shisui and Neji, it seemed he preferred to sit on hard chairs instead, or was that because of the tension between them? Could Itachi even feel the tension, or was it just her? She had to admit: she hadn't thought twice about sitting on their beds with Shisui and Neji, but there was no denying that she felt part of herself relaxing knowing she wouldn't be sitting on Itachi's with him. Just the thought had her heart skipping a beat.

Sighing with mock dejection, she gave him a look of sympathy. "It's because you enjoy gossip too much, Itachi-san. One day, if you're not careful, you may end up like my friend, Ino, and we already have one of her. I don't want another."

Much to her surprise, he chuckled. It was a low and throaty sound and for some reason, it was all she could focus on for a second or two. It wouldn't be the first time, though. When she had heard Sasuke, Kakashi and Gaara laugh or chuckle for the first time, or anybody else who was usually so aloof and serious, it had also caused her to stop and listen to the sound, storing it away in her memory. Those were the things she liked to think about the most. If Sakura had an awful feeling in her gut that something had gone wrong, or had a bad dream about them where something had happened, she would remember their laughs and it would soothe her. She would picture them sitting by her side. Not always chuckling, as it would be rather creepy and unusual. But they were happy. She liked to think of them being happy.

"Sakura-san?"

"Sorry," she mumbled with embarrassment and raised her hands. "I got lost in my thoughts for a moment."

"I am sure I have heard that excuse somewhere before," he told her teasingly and even though his features and voice were blank, his eyes were warm with amusement.

It took her a moment to think of where before her angry took over. "Oi! I didn't steal that off Kakashi–sensei. I'm nothing like that man. He's always late and reads smut. His excuses are terrible, too, whereas mine wasn't even an excuse! I was telling the truth."

Itachi smirked at her frustration. "Do you often get 'lost on the road to life' whilst reading those books, too?"

Once again, her cheeks burned hotly and she had an awful feeling that the blush shot straight up to her hairline.

His eyes widened, immediately catching on. "I never would have guessed you were one for such… erotic novels."

"They're not as bad as people think they are," she muttered quietly, her eyes falling to the ground on her right.

"Of course."

"Have _you_ read them before?"

"No."

"Then you can't insinuate that they're all about sex," Sakura snapped, but then groaned with annoyance. "Damn it. I'm starting to sound like Kakashi-sensei and here we all thought that _Sasuke-kun_ would be the one to take after him."

He didn't respond for several moments, like he was lost in his own thoughts before he suddenly sighed and glanced down at her. "Perhaps we should change the subject, for fear of you suddenly donning a mask and your hair turning–"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" She was absolutely horrified at the mere thought of having grey hair.

* * *

Although his eyes were seriously damaged, it wasn't as extreme as Shisui's, much to her relief. It made it more obvious that they relied heavily on Shisui's sharingan, however and she knew it was because he was the only one capable of using the mind controlling jutsu, Kotoamatsukami. Sakura still wasn't entirely sure how that worked, but felt as though she would be asking for far too much if she asked someone to explain it to her.

Thankfully, while healing Itachi's eyes, a more relaxed conversation filled the silence and before they were even aware of it, hours had passed and she grew fatigued from the back-to-back healing sessions. When he'd noticed her tiring out, Itachi had asked to have dinner with her and she was just about able to squash down her delight. After all, if anybody could keep the other men away from her, it would definitely be Uchiha Itachi. Further surprising her, he'd then insisted on bringing dinner _to her_ , allowing her a short break to clean herself up.

_A gentleman,_ she thought to herself, smiling.

After finding Tenten and asking her to watch over her again, she showered quickly and efficiently, scrubbing away the day's sweat before lazily drying off and dressing once more, stomach growling and twisting with excitement.

On her way back to Itachi's cabin, however, something happened that had her finally snapping.

While walking by the camp fire that was once again filled with shinobi, she noticed how they were all staring at her much more heatedly than before (no doubt it was because she was fresh from her shower). The looks, Sakura could somewhat deal with. While they made her uncomfortable, they were essentially harmless. What she couldn't deal with was the hand that shot out and roughly grabbed her ass, making her squawk (if she didn't have the entire camp's attention before, she certainly had it after such an unladylike noise). Even Tenten had been taken aback, as they had never done that to her before. But then again she was engaged to Hyuuga Neji. Sakura was a single woman.

It was safe to say that that man would not be waking for a few hours ( _if_ he was lucky) after she had used _him_ to try and break her latest record. Unfortunately, due to many, many trees being in the way, he didn't go too far.

She hoped for his sake that she wasn't the only medic available.

"I'm a woman, not a piece of meat," she yelled at the men before her.

"Sakura-chan, relax–"

"No," Sakura snapped, interrupting Naruto, who was sat beside Lee. The two of them seemed just as stunned by what had happened, but it was okay for them. They weren't the ones being sexually harassed _constantly_ like she was. "If I don't say this now, then I won't be able to relax for even a second while here. I'm surprised Tenten hasn't skewered you all for the way you look at her. Damn it! You all have wives back at home." They all instantly felt guilty, a pained look flitting through their eyes. "And I met your wives, your lovers. They're some of the nicest people I have ever spoken to! And what happens? I turn up here and some of you _hit on me._ You're married, start acting like faithful husbands! If you're really feeling sexually frustrated, then hold onto that feeling." Their heads snapped up, eyebrows furrowing in confusion and seeing she had their full attention, Sakura smirked, placing a hand on her hip. "You want to know what us women find _really_ attractive in men? When you build up all of that tension, return home and pin us against a wall, _showing_ us just how much you missed us."

It had been that way between her and Gaara, after all.

"Don't cheat on your wives, because I know they would never forgive any of you. I also know that if you continue allowing that sexual tension to build, the sex you have when you return will be explosive. It'll be mind-blowing."

They looked at her like she was a God.

And Sakura smiled brightly, pleased with herself.

Suddenly, however, all men paled and when she looked over her shoulder, Sakura saw it was because not only Tenzo and Shisui, but also Itachi were standing behind her. They were not pleased, _at all_.

"Tenzo-senpai, please deal with Toshi-senpai when he awakes. I will be informing Hokage-sama of this incident and will be asking for a replacement captain to be sent for his team."

"Yes, sir."

Her eyes threatened to widen a fraction, fear shooting through her. She'd just attacked a superior. Damn it, her anger was always getting the best of her, wasn't it? Damn it. _Damn it!_

Shisui narrowed his eyes dangerously. "The looks are one thing, but daring to touch a woman who obviously does not want to be touched in such a way?"

Wait… She wasn't in trouble?

"Tsunade-sama's apprentice, no less?" Tenzo shook his head as though incredibly disappointed.

Looking down at her, Itachi sighed. "Please forgive Toshi-senpai for his inappropriate behaviour. I can assure you that it will not be happening again."

Well, if she wasn't in trouble…

Folding her arms over her chest haughtily, Sakura smirked. "Oh, I know it won't. Just look at them!" They did so and it took a moment to realise none of them were staring at Sakura as heatedly as before. It was not because they were there. "I simply told them the truth."

"You did more than that, Sakura-chan," Naruto exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. "You scared the shit out of them and then gave them _sex advice!"_

Tenzo blushed.

Shisui smirked.

Itachi deadpanned.

"It wasn't sex advice–"

"You told them to pin their wives against the wall and–"

"Okay, okay!" Her eyes were wide with shock, a blush staining her cheeks. Did Naruto really have to make it sound as though she had acted everything out? "I _may_ have told them that they should save all the frustration they were feeling for when they returned to their wives, but nothing else." Then, her features became annoyed. Stupid Naruto always making things seem worse than what they actually were. Why did he have to exaggerate everything? "Why don't you go and check on Sasuke-kun instead of sitting around here doing nothing? I bet you haven't even seen him all day, have you?"

Naruto pouted, but she could see that he was falling for it. "Neither have you, Sakura-chan. You've been too busy with everybody else to spend time with us."

Oh. Right in the feelings. Grimacing for a second, she groaned with annoyance. "Look, I'll eat my dinner with Itachi-san, and _then_ I will come and see you both. Okay?" Naruto grinned and quickly nodded. "Do you want me to read you a bedtime story, too?"

Abruptly, his nodding stopped and he screamed in outrage when those behind him chuckled. " _Ah_! Sakura-chan, you're always so mean to me. I even let it go that you said you're having dinner with that bastard's even more of a bastard brother!" Shisui smirked, much to Itachi's palpable annoyance. "I mean, seriously, why do you want to do that? Eat your dinner with me. I'll make you laugh. I always do. Even _Gaara_ makes you laugh more than Itachi ever could!"

Silence.

It was astonishing witnessing Itachi's emotions, even if it _was_ only for the briefest of seconds. The way he openly glared at Naruto before forcibly returning to his blank, unaffected stare, the flicker of crimson that screamed he did not appreciate the comment, made her stomach somersault with excitement, her heart thudding away in her chest. Like he did, she forced her emotions away, trying her hardest to also appear unaffected.

No, she wasn't stupid enough to think he was angry because he had feelings for her. But what she did know was that Itachi was just like any other man - having Naruto exclaim that another man was better at doing something to or for her bruised his male pride. It was infuriating for him. It didn't matter if it was only about making her laugh, it was the fact that _he_ looked inferior to someone else (undoubtedly for the first time in his life).

"How about we both go and see Sasuke together?" he insisted excitedly, not noticing the glower that was about to be directed on him. "He makes you laugh more than Itachi, too. At least he can keep going with–"

Much to her gratefulness, before the blond idiot had Itachi lunging forward and attacking him, Shisui patted his shoulder. "Naruto-kun, how about a spar?"

He frowned at that, glancing up at him suspiciously. "Now? Don't you need to guard the camp?"

"I'm sure Tenzo-san can handle two minutes while I beat you into the ground."

Once again, an outraged look was on Naruto's face as he whirled around and pointed at Shisui, his finger almost poking the Uchiha in the eye. "Like hell I'd let you do that! I'll kick your ass before you even have the chance."

With that, Naruto spun around and walked off. Well, when Sakura said 'walked off', she really meant that he did that strange stomping of his whenever he was feeling incredibly annoyed, or wishing to do something dramatic. Both his elbows and knees were bent and despite the fact that he was walking forward, his walk could have passed for how a crab walked. Gods, he could be so infuriating at the best of times, but she knew that, no matter how badly he pissed her off, she wouldn't change a thing about him. Her life was never dull with him around.

Sighing, Shisui nodded once to Itachi and raised his hands, smirking at the younger Uchiha before disappearing.

Not sure how to react about what had just transpired, Sakura looked up at Itachi as the group of men behind her fell into conversation once more with Tenten joining them and Tenzo going over to deal with Toshi. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Dinner?"

He nodded once, leading the way back to his cabin.

* * *

"I was once jealous of Ino," Sakura admitted after swallowing a bite of her food.

Glancing over at her from his seat, Itachi asked, "Why?"

Honestly? Because Ino had always been so brave and confident. Back during their first year of the academy, she had shown more confidence than any of the other girls. Not to mention she had a normal sized forehead. Sakura sighed. Back then, to her, the blonde had everything. Looks, personality, sassiness. She never backed down from a single challenge and had even took on Sakura's bullies until she had been capable of doing so herself. Of course, none of that would ever leave her lips for fear of her best friend overhearing and using it against her (even if she was miles away). So Sakura settled for a, "She's confident."

"And you're not?"

"Not as much as Ino is. I'll admit, she does have her moments where she's unsure and there have been a few times where she didn't know if she could do something, but they're rare. I have regrets and second thoughts about quite a lot of things. I'm the type of person who takes a while to come to a decision, change my mind, and then repeat."

"Jealousy is a dangerous emotion," Itachi murmured suddenly. "Those who experience jealousy allow it to consume them, meaning it takes away their self-confidence and their ability to grow as a person. Those who have people envying them, become arrogant. They allow others' compliments and jealousy to get to their head."

Sakura narrowed her eyes, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. There was a playfulness in them, but if he knew what was good for him, then he would also tell she was serious and tread carefully. "Are you saying I'm consumed by jealousy?"

"Not at all."

"Then what _are_ you saying?"

"I was merely stating facts, Sakura-san. There is no need to be upset by what I say."

She pouted and turned her head away childishly. "I'm not upset."

He smiled softly. "Of course."

"You know, I'm starting to think that you have multiple personalities. That or somebody is just completely delusional." Itachi raised an eyebrow at her, silently telling her to continue and she did so easily without much more pushing, saying, "I don't mean it in an offensive way – quite the opposite, actually. I'm saying that you're nothing like how they say you are. The villagers seem to believe that you're cold, distant and intimidating. I'll admit that you can be quite intimidating and perhaps a little distant, but you're definitely not cold or downright unapproachable."

There was silence for a moment as Itachi processed what she was trying to tell him. "That is because the villagers do not know me as a person. They are going off what they have heard or seen. They also say that you are vicious and violent, yet also passionate and determined."

Her hand tightened its hold on her chopsticks. "And what do you think?"

Just as he opened his mouth to reply, something cut him off, much to her disappointment.

" _Sakura-chan!"_

At the loud and familiar voice, Sakura growled with annoyance and gave Itachi an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I'll be just a moment."

"If you don't mind," he told her, standing up at the same time as she did. "I would like to accompany you. Naruto-kun sounds panicked."

Just as they both left his cabin, they came to a stop when the blond skidded to a halt in front of them, surprised by the look on Naruto's face. He was pale, his eyes wide with fear and uncertainty. "Sakura-chan!"

"What happened?" Itachi asked.

"I-It's Sasuke!" he quickly blurted out. "He needs you _now_."

And then she was leaving them behind and running towards their cabin at a fast pace, just barely remaining upright as she ploughed through the group of men who landed roughly onto the ground when she knocked them out of the way. Sakura could hear them grumbling after her, but also a murmured apology, telling her that Itachi was following her. There was no shock there, though. Sasuke was his younger brother.

All but ripping the door open, she stepped into the room with Itachi right behind her, but they both froze at the sight before them.

He was hyperventilating, sat up in his bed and shaking noticeably, staring unseeingly ahead of himself. It had her stomach plummeting.

His eyes...

"Sasuke–kun-"

"I can't see." Sasuke's voice was quicker than it usually was, his urgency giving away how panicked he was. "Sakura. _I can't see_."


	9. Somebody Wants to Meet You

**Chapter 8**

**Somebody Wants To Meet You**

* * *

The panic his brother was experiencing must have been greater than what he was showing, because it appeared he couldn't even sense his presence - or Naruto's.

He was hyperventilating when he called out to Sakura, hands shaking and being held in front of himself like he was trying to focus on them. Through body language alone, Itachi could tell that the issue was with his eyes, but it didn't lessen the blow when he blurted out, " _I can't see."_

Even though he tried to prepare himself for the admission, it still caused his breath to leave him, caused his eyes to widen with his shock. It still created a deep ache in his heart, his fear for his younger brother undeniable. After all, it was no secret that Sasuke relied heavily on his sharingan - it was his greatest pride - and his repeated bouts of blindness was a significant cause for concern.

Was Sakura's thoughts similar to his own? He hoped so. However, he knew she was doing all that was in her power to aid his younger brother. She was the reason why those with the ordinary sharingan were on the mend.

As soon as the words left his lips, Sakura was by his side and sitting carefully on his bed, her grimace of worry obvious when she made Sasuke jump by reaching out to him without warning. In response to his flinch, Naruto cursed under his breath and swept a hand through his hair, pacing irritably. Clearly he understood the gravity of the situation. He knew how serious things were.

Itachi himself bit his tongue, the need to protect his brother making his stomach curl with unease as he was forced to accept he was useless in that moment.

He had to rely on another.

"It's me," she told Sasuke gently, the tone in her voice soothing. Reaching out once more, she took his hands, giving them a soft squeeze. "Breathe calmly, Sasuke-kun. I'm here." It was only after his nod of acceptance that she shifted closer, placing his hands on her cheeks. Itachi wondered why she had done such a thing, but like Sakura could suddenly read his thoughts, she told him, "Remember the night when you woke up and forgot you had to wear bandages?" Itachi had to refrain from narrowing his eyes when Sasuke nodded once, visibly trembling. Was it from the current situation, or the reminder of the terror he'd no doubt gone through? "Do you remember the exercise we did to calm down?" Slowly, carefully, his hands cupped her cheeks, fingers spreading out, feeling her skin and she smiled faintly. "Good. Focus on my features and nothing else, okay? Clear your mind."

She shut her eyes when gentle fingers drew closer, tensing for a second at the feeling of eyelashes, a quiet apology nearly lost in the darkness of the cabin.

Itachi glanced to the blond who continued to pace before looking behind himself, shutting the door with a warning glower when he saw their nosy comrades attempting to see his brother in his moment of weakness. If protecting Sasuke's pride was all he could do in that moment, then so be it. He would guard it fiercely.

"Good," Sakura praised, nose wrinkling when Sasuke's finger traced the evenness of the bridge. "Are you feeling calmer now?" When he made a quiet noise of confirmation, she smiled again and said, "Okay, I'm going to examine your eyes now."

Was it odd to feel like he was intruding on a healing session? For the life of him, Itachi couldn't recall ever experiencing such an emotion before - not while somebody was being healed, anyway. He was equal parts grateful as he was irked, torn between his brother's comfort and care being handled so delicately, and his undeniable attraction to Haruno Sakura. The only thing to put him at ease was Naruto's dismissal of it all, like he was used to the odd connection between his teammates and thought nothing of it. Did that mean there was nothing to be worried about?

It wasn't until that afternoon that he'd even discovered he felt attraction towards her. Not when she blushed madly whenever their gazes met, or struggled to voice her thoughts like she had so effortlessly shared them over their letters. It wasn't during the healing session where her soothing chakra had granted him the first peace he'd had in months, eradicating his constant headache and eyestrain. No, it was when she'd hastily dried off from her shower, walking through the camp with droplets of water running down the length of her neck and soaking some parts of her clothing. It was when she so effortlessly took down an ANBU captain, proving to them all that she was no easy target. Their conversation over dinner had only strengthened his realisation and he'd found himself watching her curiously as she spoke, wishing to hear more of the crazy stories of her youth and time in Team Seven (and the absurd situations they repeatedly fell into).

But…

What if there were feelings there between them? Between Sasuke and Sakura? They were a constant source of gossip in the village for a reason, their level of intimacy making the villagers return to the same old question of, "Are they? Aren't they?" Said intimacy was something he'd never witnessed between teammates before, however, Itachi wasn't a fool. He'd been acutely aware of his brother's feelings of ineptitude and loneliness when Uzumaki Naruto left the village - he knew it brought the remaining two members of Team Seven closer, but he'd never witnessed just how close until that moment.

Continuing to watch the way he studied her features, Itachi's eyes narrowed fractionally, irritation sparking to life when Naruto continued to pace and growl to himself, repeatedly saying, "I should've come to check on him sooner when he didn't wake up from his nap."

While Itachi also felt guilty as he wondered how long his brother had helplessly lay in his bed, unable to see and scared, he knew that waking said brother from a nap was a deadly mission that only fools accepted. No, he wasn't scared of Sasuke, because Itachi knew they were not on equal grounds (even before his being blind), but he would much rather avoid the verbal assault and anger.

"Naruto," snapped Sasuke suddenly. "Stay still and shut up."

Oh? Was that irritation on Sakura's features also? Was that what caused him to speak up? After all, Itachi knew his brother better than most. Had it truly annoyed him that much, he would have spoken up so much sooner. So, was it due to feeling the irritation on Sakura's expression that had him speaking up?

_How close were they?_

It irked him that he didn't know.

"Sasuke-kun, I need your brother to help me out a moment. Is that okay?"

The tension that suddenly entered Sasuke's body confirmed Itachi's previous suspicions. He'd been so worked up that he'd failed to sense his presence. "…Itachi's here?"

Worriedly, green eyes peered in his direction.

"Yes," he answered after a moment of pause, though didn't move forward. "It is my responsibility both as your superior and older brother to make sure you are well."

"…Oh."

Smiling faintly, he added, "As for not sensing my presence, you will be not be able to. Nobody other than those with the byakugan are able to, for it is masked to keep our enemies believing this is a weakened camp."

A fraction of the humiliation left his features and he felt himself relaxing in response, Itachi's smile returning briefly when Sakura looked his way once more, smiling gratefully.

"He knows so much more than me about the sharingan."

He wished she wouldn't put herself down like that. It was only natural that he knew so much more, given the fact he was capable of reading the ancient tablet with his mangekyō. Many within their clan could not read to the point he and Shisui could and due to it only being the two of them who could decipher it so far, the others found it prudent to not document it. Itachi didn't hold it against them. They would have no way of knowing if they were manipulating them or feeding them false information. He'd often thought twice about the information he was fed from the elders.

Only when Sasuke nodded his agreement did Itachi approach the pair, kneeling by his brother's side. "Can you activate your sharingan, Sasuke?"

For the first time since he first activated it, he noticed a great strain on his features, the concentration that shouldn't be necessary to activate something that'd become so second nature to him, worrying Itachi greatly. But when that concentration persisted even _after_ the sharingan was activated, he felt the worry doubling and shared a glance with Sakura, the pair of them frowning when Sasuke angrily shook his head, eyebrows mashing together.

"It's activated, Sasuke-kun," said Sakura softly. "And I think I know what's wrong with your eyes - Naruto, grab my backpack and bring it here, please. Also, I need you to go to Kakashi-sensei's camp. Ask him for the spare eyedrops I created for him a while back. I'll create more for him once we're back in Konoha."

It was obvious both to him and Sasuke what Sakura was up to, but they didn't comment on it until after Naruto's whining about how far the camp was.

Itachi sighed. "Naruto-kun, Sakura-san does not have the correct supplies or the sterilised working environment she needs to create the eyedrops. It is a great risk of infection to the ordinary eye, but imagine the damage it could cause to the sharingan. For your teammate and friend, Sakura-san is asking you to help her help Sasuke." When Naruto finally nodded and accepted his orders, already grabbing Sakura's bag to throw her way, Itachi added, "Tell Neji-san, Sai-san and Tenzo-senpai that they are to accompany you."

Nodding quickly, he spared Sasuke a final, worried glance before darting out of the cabin, already long gone by the time the door slammed shut.

The last traces of pride vanished from Sasuke and he asked quietly, "Sakura… My eyes…?"

She was the one to sigh that time, the green glow of her chakra fading away and leaving the room considerably darker. Without a second thought, Itachi reached behind him, lighting the room with the aid of a lamp. It'd taken a while for the Hokage to grant them with electricity and they'd had to rely heavily on candles to see during the night. He was grateful they now had the luxury of electricity.

"Again, it's not permanent."

He shared his brother's relief to a certain extent, his chest clenching with worry for him when Sasuke couldn't stop himself from dropping his forehead to Sakura's shoulder, whispering a weighty "thank you" in her ear.

Her lips turned downwards. "I mean it this time, Sasuke-kun. If you continue straining your eyes like this, the effects are going to be permanent and I'll be helpless to stop it." He nodded, swallowing hard. "The only reason why I know what's wrong now is because Kakashi-sensei's had this problem before." Curiosity got the better of him and he didn't watch as Sasuke leaned back, unfocused eyes directed on her nose. He was too busy assessing her expression, waiting for the diagnosis. "Right now, you have burned your pathways so severely that you can't even feel the pain - it's rare to happen, but not impossible." She sighed and sat back, though not far enough for his hands to fall away from her face. The contact seemed to calm him still. "As you know, Kakashi-sensei's sharingan cannot be deactivated but despite knowing that himself, he believed it had because he couldn't feel it or see out of it. Apparently, it was just like before it was transplanted - blind, but still there."

It was both relieving and worrying and Itachi made a mental note to speak with his brother about self-control later. That moment was hardly the most appropriate time to lecture Sasuke when he was only just truly calming down.

"When will Sasuke's sight return?" he questioned on his behalf.

"It's hard to say. The last time it took around a month, give or take a few days. Due to the severity and the fact I have two other sharingan-users to heal, I'd say this time it could take double the amount, quite possibly triple." Suddenly, Sakura was sighing, looking away from Sasuke's features and up into Itachi's and he felt himself suddenly put under a spotlight when her questioning, wary gaze focused entirely on him. The awkwardness of her question, the fact that she started hedging, only made it so much worse, he believed, as she asked, "Feel free to refuse to answer my question, but as a medic, as _Sasuke-kun's_ medic, I need to know this. I know it's personal and impolite to ask, but–"

"Just ask the question, Sakura," Sasuke grunted. He was for once grateful for his younger brother's bluntness.

"I know that there are a few in your clan that chooses to marry another Uchiha, which means inbreeding." Itachi had to force himself not to break eye contact when Sasuke's hands slipped from her features, falling to his lap. "Do you know if there's a chance your mother is related to your father? Even if it's distantly related."

Ah. He could see why she seemed so uncomfortable now. It also explained why he'd assumed the worst - it was hardly something he wished to discuss. For Sasuke's health, however… Itachi resisted the urge to sigh. Not for the first time in his life (and definitely not for the last), he pushed aside his pride. "As you said: it is impolite to ask so despite our suspicions, neither of us have questioned our parents. It is a possibility, however. As patriarch, only the best of the Uchiha women would do for our father, even if they happened to be related. It is more likely to have occurred the further back our bloodline goes, when inbreeding was less taboo."

She nodded and he had to admit: she was nothing short of professional. Not a speck of judgement passed through her green, green eyes and she did nothing to make the conversation any more uncomfortable. He respected and appreciated that.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm not sure if you remember this, but when we were fifteen years old and I officially became your sole medic, I tested you. Remember?" The way his eyes narrowed seriously as he nodded had Itachi's unease returning. "I checked you over for abnormalities or illnesses - not only physical ones." Psychological issues, then, he surmised. That thought was confirmed when Sasuke shifted nervously. "I found nothing that was too serious, but that was long before these problems with your eyes began. Perhaps this is an effect from your parents creating you, if they are in fact related. Itachi-san-" The discomfort from before returned at full force, for he knew exactly what she was about to ask before she'd even opened her mouth. "-have you been checked out, too?"

Speaking of such personal issues in front of his younger brother made him surprisingly more anxious than it did speaking of them with Sakura, though he supposed it wasn't all that strange. He'd always been held on a pedestal when it came to Sasuke, to the extent where letting his brother down by allowing him to see he _wasn't_ perfect seemed like one of the worst things he could do. He'd always done his best to avoid disappointing the most important person in his life.

However, Sasuke was allowing him to witness his weakest, darkest moment. It was only fair to allow him to see his own, to see that it was okay to have such moments.

Still, that didn't stop his frown. What would Sasuke think of him? "When Tsunade-sama became Hokage, I was in the hospital waiting for a routine check up. Hokage-sama was the one who examined me, for everyone else had been busy and, in her own words, it killed two birds with one stone, as she'd wanted to meet me, anyway." Sighing, he found he could no longer look at Sasuke and instead met Sakura's curious gaze, her eyes intense as she focused intently on what he had to say. "During the examination, she found a rare illness that was slowly eating away at my organs. Without her intervention at such an early stage, it would have killed me."

They both heard Sasuke's breath leave him, but Sakura was the one who spoke, taking his hand and offering her support. "But you're well now, right?" she questioned worriedly. "Tsunade-shishou healed you."

Her concern was as touching as it had been in her letters, allowing him to see that it hadn't only been pleasantries between comrades - she truly did have that big a heart. "Of course. It took several treatments, but she managed to remove all traces of the illness from my body."

"When was this?" Sasuke asked, voice strained and making his chest clench.

"Not long before my eighteenth birthday."

"And if she hadn't found the illness?"

Why would he ask such a question, knowing it would upset him? Sighing, since there was no use in hiding such facts, he closed his eyes, wishing to block out Sasuke's reaction. "There are only rough estimations, since it is an incredibly rare disease, however I would have been dead by my twentieth birthday - my twenty-first at the latest, if I'd forcibly prolonged my life with medication."

"Sakura. Check him over."

His eyes snapped open. "Sasuke-"

"No. I don't believe you. I want Sakura to examine you and tell me that you're okay, that you're not going to just drop dead one day," he snapped angrily, shaking. "She can't lie to me. She never has and never will be able to. I know I can trust whatever she tells me."

Did that mean he - his older brother - didn't possess his full trust?

Regardless of whether he had it or not, Itachi did not miss the slight beg in his brother's voice. He could hear the panic and the agony. He could see the effects his potential death would have on him. To deny him peace of mind for the simple fact that he was too proud to admit weakness was cowardly and cruel.

"If it will put your mind at ease, fine." He sighed again, tilting his head to the side to regard Sakura for a moment. It didn't surprise him that she appeared uncomfortable or out of her depth - they were having a disagreement, of sorts, between brothers. Being the polite girl that she was, she wouldn't want to intrude. Unfortunately for her, it seemed Sasuke relied on her just as heavily as she did him. "Sakura-san, I-"

"You can trust me," she assured him, gaze serious.

"Very well."

At her insistence, Itachi sat on the edge of Sasuke's bed, waiting patiently for her to shift closer to him after placing Sasuke's hand on her knee. He'd noticed the faint tension that entered his brother's body when she began moving away, but Itachi put it down to feeling intensely vulnerable without his sight (more so giving the fact they were on the border and at risk of being attacked every day). She seemed used to it and made no complaint, no doubt having experienced it in the hospital many times prior.

There was no hesitancy like there had been between them earlier that day, her hands immediately placed on his chest, secretly shocking him with how natural it felt. Then, she shut her eyes. "Try to relax, please. Since my chakra is still quite foreign to you, yours is going to try and automatically shove me out like it tried to earlier."

Yes, that had been quite the experience.

Biting his tongue to keep from telling her he already knew that, he calmed his chakra flow and watched the green glow of chakra once more illuminate the cabin, only dulled due to the lamp that he'd switched on. It was nothing like Tsunade's chakra, he noticed once more when she began her examination. Whereas Tsunade's often left a bitter feeling (she had reluctantly admitted that it was due to the amount of sake she drank after he enquired about it), Sakura's was soothing, aiding him in relaxing to a point he'd never experienced before.

Then much too soon, she was extracting her chakra and Itachi was startled by the fact his body _missed_ the sensation. Not only of her chakra, but of her hands on his chest.

Damned hormones. It seemed he was not immune to the temptations of a woman's body, after all.

"There's no illness, Sasuke-kun," she told him gently. "Itachi-san was telling the truth."

"But you know it was there."

What was he hoping to hear? Did he want to hear the crushing weight of the reality he'd had to face? Did he want to know of the months he'd spent not knowing whether he'd make it to his twenty-first birthday? The agony the treatments caused him? How some days, he'd cough up blood and pass out on his best friend's bathroom floor, only to wake up hours later in his spare bedroom, Tsunade standing over him and barely masking her worry?

"I didn't earlier today while healing Itachi-san's eyes, but after examining his organs thoroughly just now, yes. As a medic, I can tell what's been healed and the repairs that have been done. But there's no longer any life threatening illnesses residing in your brother."

He still wasn't happy. He could see it in the way Sasuke's jaw clenched, the way his eyebrows twitched like he was fighting a difficult battle of keeping up his indifferent mask. His foolish little brother should have known better, however. There was no way to hide his emotions from him - and he didn't mind that. He preferred seeing them, actually. Those emotions told him everything Sasuke would not, helping him understand him better.

"What is it, Sasuke?"

"Do our parents…?"

That had been one conversation he hadn't wanted to have, for he knew it would have devastated them regardless of the differences between them. "No. I was almost eighteen and as you know, we do not need to consult our parents with things such as doctor's appointments or the such from the age of fourteen. The only people other than Hokage-sama to know of my illness are Shizune-san and Shisui. The latter because somebody had to keep a close eye on me between healing sessions, ensuring I did not overexert myself."

The frown was unmistakable. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Awkwardly, Sakura looked between them. "Would you like me to give you some privacy?"

But Itachi shook his head. "That will not be necessary as there is nothing more to discuss. My illness was my own problem, Sasuke. You were just a child at the time so did not need to be burdened with such a thing."

"But–"

"You did not inform me on your psychological exam and how your results were 'nothing too serious', as I recall Sakura-san saying."

"That's different!"

How hypocritical of his younger brother. "How so?"

Sakura bit her lip, looking warily between them both.

Sasuke did not reply.

"May I ask what your mental illness is?"

Rather than respond himself, he tilted his head in Sakura's direction, silently telling him to ask _her_. It was obvious from the despaired look she shot his way that she resented his callousness, his indifference, but Sakura then sighed, focusing on him.

"Like yourself, Itachi-san, Sasuke-kun chose not to inform your parents. He didn't want them to look down on them, even though I told him they wouldn't."

While Sasuke would have his reasons for feeling uncomfortable sharing such news with their parents, Itachi couldn't help but feel useless as an older brother for never noticing a difference in him - he would never use the excuse of being away from the village for extended periods at a time. He still should have noticed changes between missions, in the time he _did_ spend with Sasuke. But their parents were… As much as they strove for perfection, to appear like they were an untouchable, united clan of elite shinobi, they would have supported him. He was their son.

"Father may be a cold man at times, Sasuke, but he would never think badly of you for something you cannot help. As for Mother, she would only want to help you in any way she could."

When Sasuke continued to show no sign of speaking, Sakura continued, sighing again, "Like I said: it's nothing too serious, but there _are_ a few imbalances of chemicals in his brain which I was originally concerned about. I won't go into too much detail, otherwise we'll be here all night, but basically, these chemicals are responsible for controlling the functions of the brain - called neurotransmitters. If there's an imbalance in the levels of one of more neurotransmitters, then it could potentially cause the symptoms of bipolar disorder."

Listening closely, Itachi nodded once, showing that she had his full attention as he absorbed the information. Bipolar disorder was not an illness he was well acquainted with, but he knew enough to know it consisted of manic or depressive episodes.

"So, I watched Sasuke-kun for a while without telling him, wanting him to act naturally." She leaned back, glancing between them both. "As I suspected - and the reason why I conducted the examination in the first place - Sasuke-kun showed multiple signs of struggling to control his emotions and mood swings, but upon further inspection, no. Sasuke-kun does not have bipolar disorder. Yes, he showed a few signs, but overall, he just didn't fall into any kind of cycles or showed any signs of having episodes - he's merely acting out on his emotions."

Nodding again, he felt a part of himself relax.

"When I continued my research, I informed Sasuke-kun about it." Rolling her eyes suddenly, she spared his brother a brief glare and somehow, despite not being able to see, he seemed to know what she was doing, because he snorted. "It took a while for him to feel comfortable with opening up to me about such things - you'll already know how private Sasuke-kun can be." He nodded, although it certainly hadn't always been that way. "Eventually, he warmed up to me and it made diagnosing him so much easier, despite the fact that I'm no psychiatrist."

So there _was_ a diagnosis? "Your findings?"

"There is no diagnosis," she said confidently. "Sasuke-kun does not have any serious mental illnesses. Yes, he has problems with controlling his emotions, but that's mostly his anger and tendency to brood. Sasuke-kun has anger issues, but nothing more."

"And the chemical imbalances?"

Sakura gave him a soft smile. "Nobody is perfect, Itachi-san. Just like nobody is one hundred percent 'okay' or 'sane'. I myself have unbalanced chemicals in my brain–"

Sasuke finally spoke up, a small smirk on his lips. "Everybody knows about _that_."

Watching as she glared at him, Itachi held back a frown. "Knows about what?"

"Her 'inner' self," Sasuke replied. "Completely insane, too. Think of a rabid, screaming Naruto and multiply it by ten with anger."

Her jaw clenched, anger and embarrassment turning her features a surprising shade of red. "Sasuke-kun, I don't care if you can't see right now, if you carry on, I'm going to kick your ass all the way back to Konoha!"

But he didn't care. "Since training under Tsunade, her inner-self has been appearing more often as you can probably tell. Sakura had never been as violent until–"

" _Sasuke-kun!"_

"An inner-persona," repeated Itachi with intrigue. He looked down to her once more, taking in the sight of her surprise as it took over her other emotions. "Would you mind if I looked?"

Shock was written all over her face from the widening of her eyes to her jaw dropping. "You can read my mind? I thought you said in your letter that you couldn't do that!"

"I cannot read your mind," he assured her. "I can, however, enter it with my sharingan."

No doubt understanding what he meant, Sasuke scowled. "You can't use _Tsukuyomi_ on my teammate, Nii–san."

Ah. There was the fear he'd grown so used to witnessing when others spoke of his eyes. It never truly bothered him when others looked to him in such a way, but Itachi was surprised to find that in that moment, he disliked seeing such an emotion on Sakura's features. She blanched at the mere mention of _Tsukuyomi_ , eyes widening on his.

"It is not only used for battle or interrogation," he assured them both. Why, he had no idea. Why did he feel the need to reassure Sakura? Why did he want to take the fear out of her eyes? Was it because he was attracted to her? "And it only leaves a devastating effect if I allow it to. The only times people have been psychologically damaged by _Tsukuyomi_ is when I must gather information. All forms of interrogation causes psychological damage."

Eyebrows puckering, she once more looked between them, indecision so very obvious. "And it won't mentally screw me up?"

"Sakura–"

"Not at all," he promised. He would not allow that to happen.

"I don't like this," Sasuke grumbled.

"You don't have to," Itachi replied smoothly to his foolish little brother. He did not control what Sakura did with her life. "If Sakura-san allows this, on the outside, only a second will pass."

She stared up at him with awe. "And inside my head?"

Itachi allowed a smirk to pull at his lips. It wasn't every day that somebody spoke of his most feared jutsu like it was a grand prize and while her initial reaction _had_ been to fear it, her new curiosity amused his greatly. Even while he was laid back about it, Shisui was also wary. He knew how badly something like _Tsukuyomi_ could mess with a person's head and knew not to screw around with it. Yet a few simple words from him and Sakura trusted him. "As much time as I allow. Seconds, minutes, hours or days."

The biting of her lower lip instantly caught his attention, but Itachi was quick to look back into her eyes and was grateful that she hadn't noticed, too busy staring at the ground uncertainly. "What's the longest you've kept going?" She most definitely heard the double meaning to her words, because she quickly went on to fix her sentence with a faint blush, "With _Tsukuyomi._ How long have you kept somebody trapped in your world of _Tsukuyomi_?"

It took everything in him not to smirk more widely at her shyness. "Seventy-two hours."

"Okay." She smiled brightly. "Don't keep me there for that long, but I want to try this."

"Sakura–"

"I'll be fine, Sasuke-kun," Sakura told him, giving him a pat on the knee. "I trust your brother."

She trusted him? That was a bold statement. To so easily give away her trust, like she wasn't at risk of being horrifically burned by her own carelessness, was stupidly brave.

"You sure you can handle her?" asked Sasuke with a smirk.

Was her inner-persona really that bad? "I am confident I will be able to."

His brother's smirk widened. "Good luck, Nii-san."

Sparing a final glance in his brother's direction, not failing to miss the mockery in his tone, Itachi focused solely on Sakura. Stunning him entirely, when his mangekyō activated, she leaned closer, hands planting on the bed, green eyes wide with fascination.

" _Tsukuyomi,"_ he murmured.

The second their eyes connected, he had her. She was drawn into the world of his most brutal genjutsu, where the skies were blood red and ground was black - designed to disorient his victims, especially when the clouds began drifting above them, indicating that time was passing by quickly.

She was jumpy, he noticed, gasping when he spoke up, telling her, "You will remain here for one hour." Spinning on her heel, Sakura found him, her features relaxing as she sighed in relief. It seemed it was already having an effect on her. "Unless you wish to stay for longer?"

"An hour is long enough," she replied with a nervous chuckle. "It's a little-"

But Sakura was interrupted by a dark voice that cut her off without a care, a voice that had his senses stretching out, warning him of a potential threat approaching them. Understanding that he was about to meet her inner-persona, he forced himself to remain indifferent (though that certainly didn't mean he wasn't prepared for a sudden assault, his mind repeating Sasuke's description of the violent persona).

_"Sakura!"_

It was surprising seeing Sakura's reaction to the second personality. It appeared her entire body had grown tense, her startling green eyes widening - no doubt it was due to the amount of anger in the inner-persona's voice. Said anger was confirmed when the persona suddenly appeared before Sakura, grabbing the collar of her shift and shaking roughly.

"You left me here alone," she spat hatefully, her grip tightening. "Ignoring me like I'm some kind of annoyance. Cha! I should rip you to pieces right here, _right now!"_

The persona was odd looking, he couldn't help but notice. While she looked identical to Sakura, her colouring was off in the sense that she had no colouring, leaving her to blend in fairly well with the surroundings of _Tsukuyomi._ It was almost as though she was from a world of negatives, though he supposed it would only be fitting, considering what had been said about her personality. She _was_ negativity personified.

Sakura attempted to placate her, smiling while saying, "I brought you somebody who wants to meet you. Call him a peace offering."

A peace offering?

Why didn't he like the sound of that?

He couldn't see what expression was on the Inner-Sakura's face, but from the chill in the air, he knew he wouldn't like it either way. That thought was confirmed by the sudden rant that seemed to gush from her.

" _Him?_ Did you bring me Sasuke-kun again? The last time he visited, he left early and I haven't seen him since, unless I'm looking through _your_ eyes, but that's useless. You don't see him the same way as I do anymore." Suddenly, she was yanking Sakura even closer, practically vibrating with anticipation. "Or is it Gaara-kun? The shock on his face was hilarious, don't you think? He thought he was the only one with a voice whispering in his ear, didn't he? Well, we showed him. Ha! And then the _sex_ afterwards was-"

The blush was unmissable as Sakura lunged, slapping a hand over her mouth, pinning her with a glare. "You really need to learn to keep your big mouth shut." The smile on her face may have seemed friendly, but the look in her eyes was deadly and unforgiving. "This person wanted to meet you himself. Can't you tell already? This isn't my mind."

Itachi was grateful for Sakura's interruption, his mind screeching to a halt as he tried to shove the memories out - not his own, but Sakura's. After all, his genjutsu was used for interrogation. Even if it wasn't being used for such a thing, it would do the job regardless. He should have warned her.

The inner-persona batted away Sakura's hands with a snort of disgust. "Don't be ridiculous, Sakura. This is our mind. The genjutsu used on us is simply changing how we view things to make it more disorientating. If this wasn't our mind, how would we be driven insane or have information extracted? _Fuck_ , Sakura. You're originally a genjutsu type, but it seems you've been letting your skills slip."

 _How embarrassing,_ Sakura's thought came to his mind. Had he not been so thrown off balance by the quick mood changes, he would have smirked at her.

"I heard that, you brat!" Inner-Sakura spat.

_Great._

"Show me to our guest," her inner–persona stated arrogantly, waving Sakura off dismissively with her hand.

Sakura gritted her teeth and looked over Inner-Sakura's shoulder, sighing as she met Itachi's eyes. He hoped he didn't look as stunned as he felt, for he would no doubt look ridiculous. "Itachi-san, this is my inner–"

Her words were cut off as her inner all but threw her to the ground, spinning wildly and grinning like a cat who caught the canary as she spotted Itachi. In response, he couldn't help but to freeze, unsure of what he was supposed to do. How did one defend himself against an inner-persona? Was there a way to do so? If there was, his mind blanked and the tension in his body only increased as Inner-Sakura shot forward and latched herself onto him.

"You're _so_ forgiven, Sakura. This guy is a sex God. No, _the_ sex God! Why haven't you ever brought him to me before?" A moan tore from her inner's lips and he inwardly commended himself on _not_ showing a reaction to it, sparing a glance over her shoulder at Sakura. It was clear from her expression alone that she was feeling mortified and he honestly couldn't blame her for that. " _Itachi-kun_. The older brother of Sasuke-kun! Cha. Who cares about Sasuke when you have _this_ guy? No wonder you gave up on Sasuke, Sakura."

After she pressed herself against him more firmly, he met Sakura's eye, her apologetic expression nearly lost entirely to the blush that turned her whole face a worrying shade of red.

Nobody had ever been so forward with him before. Yes, he had fan-girls or women in general who were interested in him, but they had never crossed the line with him. They never touched without permission - something they never received. To suddenly have someone draping themselves over him, moaning in his ear and-

"Oi, don't crowd Itachi-san like that," she finally snapped. "He's too polite to tell you to back off."

His eyes widened a fraction when he was cupped through his pants, the eager expression directly in front of him making him swallow.

"She's just jealous that our roles aren't reversed," Inner-Sakura whispered into his ear and he had to hold back the instinctive response to shiver. "You're in our inappropriate thoughts, after all."

"Sakura-san, this-"

She cupped him unabashedly, watching him from beneath her lashes as he sucked in a sharp breath. "Don't pay any attention to her," she murmured huskily. "She always gets the attention. Now it's my turn."

Sakura must have known what was happening, because she was suddenly yelling at her, "Oi, let go of him! You're making us look trashy!"

Her inner scoffed. " _Please_. You've done much worse than this. Need I remind you of the time in Gaara-kun's office?"

No, he didn't want to see that. He couldn't. It was a gross invasion of her privacy and he could tell that Sakura was embarrassed by it, the blush on her face deepening spectacularly.

"Itachi-san, I thought you were in control of _Tsukuyomi_?" she asked, voice tinged with desperation and accusation.

"There are weaknesses in all jutsu, Sakura-san." His voice was even, like there wasn't somebody pressing kisses against his neck. His self-control would not fail him. It would be too humiliating. "She is _your_ inner-persona and I am guessing that she is also the reason as to why you are originally a genjutsu type. She has come to your defence, to make sure I do not trap you."

Stomping forward, Sakura growled as she grabbed the back of her inner's shirt, throwing her to the ground. "Leave him alone," she ordered with her annoyance obvious. "Clearly, he's not affected by the way you're touching him! Stop making me look like a whore, damn it."

Her inner also growled, suddenly increasing her size and making both Sakura and Itachi look like bugs compared to her. " _Cha_!" Her voice boomed around them and it seemed to startle Sakura. "Let me have my fun. It's not like you're going to let Itachi-kun fuck us!"

He was incredibly grateful for Sakura's refusal to look him in the eye, because there was no stopping his own blush.

"You're too much of a prude, Sakura!" she continued, glaring down at her angrily.

He heard her take a deep breath. "Itachi-san… Perhaps it would be best to end _Tsukuyomi_ now?"

He could only nodded.

"Wait–"

Just as she shot forward, attempting to grab them and make them stay, they disappeared and once more, Inner-Sakura was left alone.

On the outside, as he'd told her earlier, only a second passed until she was slumping forward and forcing Sasuke to catch her, allowing her to lean against him with a sigh.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked after a couple of moments.

He couldn't find the words to explain the… No, he couldn't even string together a coherent thought, never mind explaining to another what he'd just gone through.

It seemed to surprise his brother when Sakura chuckled sheepishly and he guessed that it was due to assuming she would pass out after the genjutsu was over - he didn't take offence to it. It was clear she meant a lot to him, so it was only natural to feel wary. And although she wasn't passing out, she was still drained mentally and needed support.

"She has a pretty big mouth," Sakura told Itachi awkwardly, not meeting his eyes.

"I noticed." Damn it, his voice gave away that he was in shock, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn't compose himself. "Is she always–"

"No." She shook her head quickly, but then paused. "Actually, twice. With Sasuke-kun and Gaara. The stuff she told Sasuke-kun had him blushing for weeks."

And at her words, Sasuke blushed.

"I see," Itachi murmured.

There was an awkward pause between them - he was startled to admit such a thing, for Itachi never truly cared for such pointless feelings - where Sakura met his eye, blushing and looking away quickly. "I'm really sorry about what she did to you. I, um…" She looked down at her legs, squirming uncomfortably. "And I'm really sorry about the stuff she said to you, too."

Stunning him further (he was fairly certain he could take no more surprises that day), Sasuke smirked, saying to try and lighten the tension, "Not so confident now, right, Nii-san?"

In truth, no, Itachi was not. He was still unable to form logical thoughts. At least, the male side of him was unable to. The side where he thought of things that were not very appropriate. His mind was not allowing him to forget the way Sakura's inner-self had felt pressed up against him, or the low moan of his name she had breathed into his ear, or the _touching_. Yes, it had been her inner-self, but what was she made of? The person Sakura was inside, the person she was denying. Not always, of course, but most of the time that was what an inner-persona was. But… Would that mean Sakura wanted him?

Shoving those thoughts from his mind, Itachi glanced down at the still blushing Sakura. "Do not be embarrassed about what she said, Sakura-san."

"But the stuff about–"

"None of it will ever be repeated," he vowed.

How much trouble could Sakura get into if it was found out that there had actually been a sexual relationship between herself and the Kazekage, that it hadn't only been a rumour? No, it wasn't uncommon for shinobi to sleep together, but they had been in a relationship and she was a Konoha shinobi while he was the Kazekage. How did he know? Because with each sentence her inner-self had uttered, flashbacks and thoughts came to his mind from her subconscious, since _Tsukuyomi_ was used for interrogation. Those flashbacks had been unwelcome. Itachi did not wish to see the sight of Sabaku no Gaara with Sakura intimately. The worst had been when he had angled their bodies so they could see how they connected, meaning Itachi had also seen. And now those images of Sakura were stuck, burned, into his mind. As was her supposedly ' _little kiss_ ' with Sasuke.

It irked him for some strange reason. Not the fact that she had been with men, but the fact she and Gaara had not loved each other. No, it didn't make him see her badly. It was quite the opposite. Itachi found himself feeling saddened for Sakura. Her thoughts had been depressed. All she had wanted was to feel loved and accepted and happy. Yes, she had been happy and felt accepted, but Sakura had foolishly believed that, over time, she and Gaara would fall in love and be together. It was so wrong of her to think that way, though. Sex did not create feelings that were not there. At least, not love. Yes, Sakura felt something for Gaara, but it wasn't love.

And now Itachi also felt like he knew way too much about her. He wasn't sure if Sakura was even aware of how much he now knew and it felt like he was invading. But surely she had known that _Tsukuyomi_ was an interrogation type of genjutsu? It put him in complete control of her mind.

He had felt everything Sakura had as though they were his own feelings, but while he wasn't too sure on just how much he had learned, Itachi also enjoyed knowing her just that little bit better. Of course he still didn't know much, but he knew of her past relationships. That was a side he never knew he would see, at least not so early into their friendship. And Itachi also knew that she experienced lust when looking at _him_. It explained why she had been so nervous earlier that day.

The way Sakura smiled at him, a small, slightly shaky smile that looked more like a twitch of her lips, told Itachi that yes, she was aware of how much he now knew. It shouldn't have surprised him. Sakura was an intelligent girl, after all.

"…Thanks."


	10. Love, Lust, Faith & Dreams

**Chapter 9**

**Love, Lust, Faith & Dreams**

* * *

_Hands fell to her hips, dragging her back against a muscular chest, but just when she was about to yell at whoever it was who dared to interrupt her shower, soft lips pressed against her ear, his voice low and making her stomach pool with warmth with one simple word, one simple name._

" _Cherry-san."_

_Her legs felt like jelly and no matter how hard Sakura tried to hide how he affected her, she couldn't help but lean back into him. The feeling of his hands moving across her body, caressing her, had her releasing an uneven breath. She couldn't speak. Couldn't move. Hell, she couldn't even think. His warmth enveloped her, bringing her a sense of safety as he held her._

_They stayed that way for a few minutes. Why? Sakura didn't know. Itachi simply stayed still, seeming content with holding her and caressing her. But then one of his strong hands moved upwards, cupping her breast so tenderly that Sakura couldn't help but smile. That smile slipped away as her mouth fell open to let out a gasp, however, when his other hand slipped down her body, stroking her with sure fingers._

_Moving her hips backwards, Sakura bit back a moan as she felt Itachi was also naked. That shouldn't have been a surprise considering they were in the shower, but the feeling of his wet body pressed so intimately against her own was so very arousing. That feeling of arousal only increased when he continued his ministrations._

_She reached behind herself to grasp the back of his head, enjoying the sudden kisses he was littering along her shoulder and neck. Then, when he slipped a finger within her folds, inside of her, Sakura finally let out a quiet moan, her hips rocking in time with the movements of that finger until he added another. Tightening her hold on his hair, her back arched, eyes shutting at the pleasure Itachi was bringing her._

_At his silent order, she parted her legs further, allowing him easier access. However, she did so distractedly, as the feeling of his erection pressing into her back caught her attention, making Sakura bite her lip. She wanted to feel more of him, more than what he was currently giving her. Was that selfish or greedy? Who cared? It may never happen again._

_It seemed Itachi understood her because he let out a low sounding chuckle, one that had her whimpering. Why did his voice have to sound so damn good? The deepness of it, the tenor, sent shivers up her spine and a shock of pleasure through her entire body._

" _Patience, Cherry-san," he murmured as he moved his kisses up to her jaw. "Allow me to take my time with you." He then nipped her earlobe. "I want to worship your body, to cherish you. I wish to make you mine." Another whimper left her lips and it soon became a moan as he increased the pace of his fingers. "May I?"_

" _Yes," she breathed. "Yours. Make me_ yours _."_

* * *

Sakura's eyes shot open.

 _What the hell_ had _that_ been about?

In the back of her mind, she heard Inner-Sakura snickering and immediately, she knew the dream was because of her. No doubt she didn't like being ditched the way she had been yesterday. But seriously? She could have come up with something a little steamier than that. Perhaps more than simply being fin-

Wait, what?

Taking a deep breath, Sakura threw her covers back, sighing at the cold that hit her. It was cooling her body down, which was unfortunately quite hot after that dream.

"Sakura?"

Oh no. "…Yeah?"

"What're you doing?"

He sounded exhausted. Sighing, she got up and moved over to Sasuke's bed. Tenzo had created bed frames for everybody so they wouldn't have to sleep on the floor. Since it was a guest cabin, however, there were no mattresses as of yet. It wasn't too bad, in all honesty and they didn't mind. It was simply like a block of wood. No headboard or footboard, either. On their first night in the cabin, they had rolled out their sleeping bags and placed them on top of the blocks of wood. Tenzo had told them that hopefully, new beds would arrive soon in a scroll with the next delivery of letters.

"I can't sleep," she admitted sheepishly, sitting down beside him. Sasuke looked as though he hadn't been asleep all night, even though he was tired. "Can't you sleep either?" He shook his head, deciding to remain laying down. The look on his face, even though Sakura was certain he didn't mean for it to be there, was breaking her heart. He seemed so lost. Clearly he had been brooding before she woke up and hadn't had the chance to rein in those thoughts and emotions. "Sasuke–"

"I'm useless," he told her, his eyebrows knitting together angrily. "Everybody here is doing something and all I can do is lay here like an invalid."

Laying down beside him, Sakura slipped into his sleeping bag and pulled Sasuke to her even though he seemed unsure about the contact. She didn't let go. And a minute later, he was holding her just as tightly, like he couldn't even stop himself. "You're not useless, Sasuke-kun. You will _never_ be useless. Where would I be without you? If it wasn't for you pushing me so hard, I wouldn't be where I am today. If it wasn't for you teasing him constantly, Naruto wouldn't have felt the need to surpass you so badly." He released a shaky breath. "And what about all the times you saved our lives, huh?"

Shifting her position so that she was face to face with him instead of face to neck, Sakura gave him a smile even though he couldn't see it. "Don't call yourself useless, Sasuke-kun. Trust me when I say it gets you absolutely nowhere." She wrapped an arm around his shoulders, holding him against her in a loving embrace. "This isn't permanent. I'm going to make sure that when you next get your sight back, it's definitely not going to leave you again."

He was silent for a moment before nodding. "Sakura?"

"Mm?" Her eyes were closed, tiredness washing over her.

"Why were you dreaming about my brother?"

Oh no.

Sakura's eyes snapped open, her breath leaving her like somebody had gone and punched her in the stomach. "Um…"

His features twisted awkwardly for a moment, telling her that he was uncomfortable. "Are you interested in him that way?"

"I…" She grimaced, letting go of him but taking Sasuke's hand when she felt him tense for a split second, clearly not liking the sudden loss of contact. It was obvious the feeling annoyed him, too, for he scowled to himself. "I've only spoken to Itachi-san a few times, Sasuke-kun. This… You can kind of say it's my inner's way of getting back at me for snatching him away."

"You're blaming your inner-persona for your dirty dreams?"

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "How do you know it was a dirty dream?"

"You were moaning 'make me yours, Itachi' over and over again."

"Oh God," she groaned, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

To add to her humiliation, Sasuke smirked. "You said that, too."

"Sasuke-kun! This isn't funny."

Part of her was glad to hear him chuckle, even if it was at her expense. It seemed having her awake with him and their proximity relaxed him. Was it strange? Without a doubt. But the dynamics of their relationship was strange, too and Sakura could pinpoint the exact time frame that it'd shifted to such an intimate level - it'd been when he'd appointed her as his personal medic. Some considered having another's chakra invading their body as fairly intimate, which was the reason behind many sticking to one medic if and when possible. She'd been healing Sasuke for so many years now. No, things were not and would never be romantic between them, but…

She held back the urge to grimace. Explaining their unusual relationship was difficult for her, sometimes even painful. With Naruto, it was simple. He was her best friend and she loved him. He was dear to her. But, Sasuke was… He was so, _so_ different. She trusted him more than anyone, had told him absolutely everything and he listened to her - truly listened. Even if he had no idea how to process what she'd told him or had no idea how to respond, he still listened and that meant everything to her, because not even her parents listened half of the time. Yes, they loved her but they never truly saw her. They wanted what _they_ thought was best for her, never actually taking her wants or needs into consideration.

"Sakura." Sasuke lowered his voice further when they heard Naruto shift in his bed, mumbling something about ramen. "If anything happens between you and my brother, don't screw around with him."

She frowned and moved her hands away from her face to look at him. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the dark, she could see his features more clearly. It also helped that morning was coming, meaning the sun was due to rise soon. "What?"

"Like with Gaara. My brother isn't one for one night stands or flings such as those. They're meaningless, meaning he won't waste his time on them. If he's going into something, it's for keeps. You have to understand that. Don't be with him just because." Once again, his eyebrows were knitting together. "In the end, it'll only end up hurting the both of you."

 _Why was he saying these things?_ She thought with a frown.

It was like he could read her mind. "Not being able to do anything but lay here makes you think about things. Makes you wonder. Things like that." He gave her a lazy smirk. "Itachi… My mother always says that he's a gentle person, a man wise beyond his years or something of the sort. He's traditional, yet not overwhelming with it. What I'm trying to say is that… even though he _is_ the kind of man who would stop if you needed help, he isn't the kind to pursue relationships or friendships unless he knows they're going somewhere." There was a pause. "Why do you think he has so few friends, Sakura?"

His words made her think. Truly think. She chuckled quietly. "My inner jumped him."

Sasuke also chuckled, his face looking so much younger than it had moments before, making a warm smile pull at her lips. She liked this Sasuke. The one who let his guards down completely. "What did he do?"

"Nothing." She grinned, pressing a hand to her mouth to try and keep quiet, just in case they woke Naruto up. "It was like he couldn't do anything. Itachi-san looked at me with this expression and it felt like I was dying inside. I didn't know whether to laugh or have a nosebleed or faint from embarrassment."

It had been difficult for the both of them when Naruto had left. Well, perhaps not extremely difficult, but enough so that it brought them closer together. There was no overly cheerful and loud blond bouncing around, making them smile (or in Sasuke's case, reluctantly smirk). In their team, it was like Naruto was the glue. When he left, she and Sasuke had had to cling together just to keep Team Seven a team (even though he would never admit such a thing if she confronted him about it). Kakashi was rarely around, Naruto was gone. It was just them. They were all they had. So the inevitable happened. They became close friends. And when Sakura got over her crush on him, they grew even closer and Sasuke proved how much he trusted her by asking, demanding, that Sakura become his personal medic.

Then Kakashi started hanging around more and more often. He trained Sasuke while she was being trained by Tsunade and the three of them went on missions together. It was a little odd without Naruto around, but they got used to the change. And then their teammate returned, all grown up and even more of an idiot than ever. The glue was back, but as harsh as it sounded, they no longer needed that. They didn't need Naruto to be the glue anymore. They wanted him around as their friend, their family. He was _their_ idiot.

"You know," Sakura said after a couple of minutes of silence, eyeing Sasuke's features as she replayed their conversation in her mind. "You've never really spoken about my relationship with Gaara before. Well, you grunted at me and said 'whatever', but tonight's the first time you brought it up."

The scowl on Sasuke's face amused her greatly. "Why do you want my opinion?"

"I don't," she stated simply with a shrug.

"If things had worked out," he sighed with annoyance and Sakura grinned. No matter how distant and cold he tried to act, nowadays, Sakura always got answers out of Sasuke. "You would have left. Moved to Suna. And then there would be no more Team Seven because you would be gone."

The sincerity of his words caused her to smile softly. People thought Sasuke was some cold-hearted man who cared about nothing, but they couldn't have been more wrong. One simply had to be persistent and continue to pick at him. If he trusted them, Sasuke would eventually let his guards down. It was all about being patient with him. "Gaara and I both knew deep down that we'd never fall in love with each other, Sasuke-kun."

Gaara had told her one day, when he had been feeling low, that he wasn't sure if they should continue being with one another in such a way any longer. He could sense her feelings, her want to settle down and part of him felt guilty for not being able to give her that. Sabaku no Gaara was a broken man and unfortunately, Sakura had not been the woman to fix the broken pieces of his heart. She had tried. Oh God, Sakura had tried so hard for him, to try and make things work because she hated seeing anybody suffering and over time, he became a dear friend to her, so every time she saw that haunted, broken look in his eyes, it broke her. It felt as though it had been killing her inside. And he had felt guilty for that, for causing her pain.

Once, Gaara had told her that he didn't want children. He didn't want a wife. He didn't want a family. He had his siblings and his people and they were enough for him. That day had been rather emotional for, surprisingly, the both of them. Due to being the vessel for Shukaku, Gaara had awful mood swings and even though he tried not to take them out on her, he had his moments.

"Then why?"

She knew he didn't understand. After all, Sakura was a hopeless romantic. She was the kind of woman who cried at stupid love scenes in stupid romance movies and books. Why would she be in a relationship when she knew it had no future? Honestly, she'd asked herself that many times and while Sasuke knew everything about her, when it came to her relationships, he kept his distance and allowed her some privacy. It didn't surprise her that he couldn't understand.

"We were both lonely. I know… that it sounds trashy and wrong of me to be with him _that way_ because I felt lonely, but… I don't know. I'm not sure how to explain it. It's just… being connected with somebody in such an intimate way took away the loneliness, even if it was for only a short while." It was hard discussing her relationship with Gaara, admitting the truths behind it. "Sometimes I miss him, you know? The day we decided that it'd be best not to continue our relationship, I was scared." Her lower lip trembled. "S-Scared of feeling lonely again. Having you guys around helps but… no offence, but none of you are the guys I want to pursue a relationship with. You and Naruto are like my brothers and Kakashi-sensei is… Well, do I really need to give an explanation?" Sasuke shook his head, his eyebrows furrowing at the raw pain he could hear so clearly in her voice. "I'm glad I have you three, though. I really don't know where I'd be without you."

Suddenly, a sleeping bag was being laid down behind her and Sasuke's was being opened as somebody else joined them, making Sakura jump in shock and with her, Sasuke tensed.

"Don't feel that way, Sakura-chan," Naruto mumbled sleepily into her ear and he threw his sleeping bag over himself and Sakura, his arms wrapping around her waist. Both she and Sasuke relaxed when he spoke up and she leaned back into his arms. "We're here."

Even though he tensed, Sakura pulled Sasuke towards them, smiling to herself when he gave up with trying to resist and allowed her to hug him while Naruto was hugging her.

"You know, if you're really horny, I bet we could–"

"Don't even continue with that sentence, Naruto," Sakura hissed, knowing by the tone of his voice just what he had been about to propose. Sasuke smirked. "No threesomes."

He sighed. "Fine." And then, just as they were about to fall asleep, he whispered with his amusement obvious, "Did you really have a wet dream about Itachi?"

" _Naruto!"_

* * *

They were teasing her.

So many people were teasing her.

First, it had been Shisui, although he had been teasing the entire team when he and Itachi came by early in the morning to check on Sasuke and see how he was doing. Usually, the younger Uchiha would be awake by the time they came to visit, but due to not having any sleep during the night, when he finally fell asleep, he slept like a baby. Literally. When Itachi and Shisui came by, Sasuke had been sleeping in Sakura's arms like a child with his face pressed into her neck. To add to their embarrassment, Naruto had been right behind her, holding onto Sakura just as tightly with _his_ face buried into her hair, tickling her scalp and neck every time he breathed.

" _We're a close team,_ " Sakura had whispered sheepishly to them.

It hadn't looked good, she was aware of that. Not all teams shared beds or held each other like they had been doing. But so what? Team Seven would never be like other teams. That was what made them so different, so much better. They had strong, unbreakable bonds. In his own way, last night, Sasuke had given his approval for her to pursue a relationship with Itachi. Sakura had no idea why, as Itachi had shown little to no interest in her, but it didn't matter. Itachi was Sasuke's most precious person. If he was giving her his approval, it was not something to take lightly.

Once they'd left, she had punched Naruto over the head, for his morning 'happiness' was digging into her ass and it wasn't welcome at all. Sasuke had grumbled for them to shut up and be quiet while he slept, nuzzling closer to what he had probably thought was his pillow, only to freeze when he felt Sakura's body against his own. His eyes had snapped open, but any feelings he had felt towards their position had been replaced by his revelation.

"Sakura," he had spoken slowly, like he wasn't sure on what to think. "Can you check my eyes?"

"Of course." Had he even needed to ask?

It surprised her greatly when he had filled her in on the progress, telling her that he could see a difference already. Nothing major, but enough to bring her best friend hope. It was so good seeing that smile. It was a vulnerable smile, one that she knew only people he truly trusted got to see. The healing session the night before had done some good. Already Sasuke could tell the difference between light and dark. He told her it was still disorientating if he kept his eyes open, for everything was incredibly blurred and looked more like fuzzy blobs, but he could now tell when it was light and when it was dark. That was enough to give him hope.

Naruto had whooped loudly, effectively earning him a growl of warning from Sasuke. In response he had grinned sheepishly and ran outside to tell Itachi the news. The older Uchiha had arrived not too long afterwards, filling Sakura in on anything she needed to know about the sharingan.

Once certain that Sasuke's headache was gone, she had given Itachi and Sasuke some privacy so that they could catch up properly. While Itachi had gone to collect their breakfast, however, she had warned the younger Uchiha that if he uttered a single word about that dream she had the night before, he would regret it. Sasuke smirked and grunted his infamous, "hn".

Since then, it had all gone downhill. Well, it wasn't as bad as Sakura made it sound, but being constantly teased by not only her teammates (for her dream the night before) but also Shisui (about the position he had found Team Seven in that morning) was not pleasant. In fact, it made her angry. So to blow off some steam, Sakura sparred with Lee for a while, which had been a nice change as they hadn't sparred together in a while. He was one of very few people who dared to go up against her monstrous strength (he said he enjoyed the challenge). That had only lasted a short while, though. They couldn't go all out there since base camp four was supposed to be a weakened camp.

" _They're here!"_ somebody yelled.

"What are here?" Sakura asked Lee as they made their way back to the camp. The training grounds were about two minutes away from camp if they ran, but if they walked, then it was around ten minutes. Really it simply depended on how fast the person was.

Lee was silent until he realised what it was. "Letters, Sakura-san. Today must be delivery day."

Don't get Sakura wrong, she loved all versions of Lee for he was a great friend to have and always had her back, but she preferred this version secretly. He was quieter, wasn't as loud. They could talk without everybody who was within a mile radius hearing them. Sure, there were moments when Lee would get excited and say something enthusiastically, but in moments like these, it was rare to happen. It seemed over the years Lee had picked up on when was best to speak with an 'indoor' voice and when was best to speak with an 'outdoor' voice.

"But I thought they were delivered on the day we arrived? That was like three days ago, right?"

He nodded. "Tenten once told me that when Tsunade-sama needs to get into contact with a base camp, she allows those with loved ones here to send anything they may have forgotten to include in their letter." Glancing down at her, he added, "It does not happen all too often, but there are occasions when it does."

"I see."

That meant her team would be receiving mattresses today. Sakura was a little grateful for that. While she had been (and still was) okay with using her sleeping bag, she wanted Sasuke to be more comfortable. He would be staying in bed most of the time now as he didn't want to humiliate himself in front of the others. That was partly why Itachi was spending the morning with him. Not only to catch up, but to make sure his younger brother didn't get lonely.

"Aren't you going to see if you got anything, Lee-san?" Sakura asked when she realised he was heading straight for the showers. It was mean of her, but she was kind of glad that he was. Lee had a little bit of a stink following him around. It was from all of his hard training because while they couldn't use full strength and go all out, he still pushed himself. Lee merely doubled the amount of push ups or whatever he did.

"No," he told her with a smile. "Nobody knows that this is where Tenten and I are. Neji is already here and Gai-sensei has been placed on the same base camp as Kakashi-sensei."

Poor Kakashi. "Oh. When you're done in the showers, you should come and find me. We can have lunch together, if you want."

His smile grew into a flashy, toothy grin. "Of course! I would be honoured to eat my lunch with you, Sakura-san!"

And he was back to practically yelling right down her ear. But she was fine with that. It was just who Lee was. "Good! I'll be in my cabin when you're ready."

* * *

After collecting the scrolls with the beds and extra supplies, Sakura made her way to the cabin, knocking twice to let Itachi and Sasuke know that she was there. When she entered, however, Sakura couldn't help but smile at the sight that greeted her. There was a warm look in Itachi's eyes and Sasuke was smirking. No, he was smiling. Sometimes Sakura wished more than anything that she had a brother. Not a sister, because then the brat would be stealing all of her clothes. But a brother would have been nice to grow up with. She wouldn't have been as lonely.

Handing the scroll to Itachi to release the seal on it (as he was in charge of base camp four), Sakura took a step back, smiling brightly when three single mattresses appeared along with bed sheets and pillows. _Pillows_! No more stiff necks.

"Here, Sasuke-kun." Sakura took his hand, helping him to his feet before guiding Sasuke out of the way so that he didn't get hit with the mattress. "I'll make your bed first."

He nodded his thanks.

However, once she had turned around to get to work, the mattresses were already on the blocks that were being used as bed frames. Actually now that she thought about it, they looked more like divans. Only, they were made out of wood. "You didn't need to do that, Itachi-san." She smiled politely, grabbing one of the three sheets for Sasuke's bed. "But thank you for your help. I appreciate it."

There was a simple smile in response.

And then he did yet another thing that surprised Sakura.

Itachi helped her make Sasuke's bed and once she guided the younger Uchiha back to his bed, Itachi then went on to help her make the other two, despite Sasuke rolling his eyes and muttering that there was no point in making Naruto's. The way he slept made it pointless. With all his twisting and turning, he pulled at the sheets until most of them were on the ground or at the bottom of his bed.

"Just this once, Sasuke-kun," Sakura told him cheerfully. "After this he can make it himself."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You're in a good mood."

Was she? After all the teasing she'd put up with that morning? "I am?"

"Yes," he stated. "Why?"

"Is it really so strange for Sakura-san to be in a good mood, Sasuke?" Itachi asked his younger brother as he sat down on the end of Sasuke's bed. She could feel his eyes on her as she wandered around the room, putting away other supplies that had been sent for their cabin. There was a nice breeze coming in from the open door, since she had forgotten to close it, but none of them minded much. It was getting a little stuffy in the cabin.

"No," Sasuke muttered, eyes narrowing further, his head tilting in the direction he could hear her coming from. "But it's unnerving."

Sakura laughed and once certain she had sorted everything out that needed to be done, she smiled brightly. "I'm not sure why, but I like it here. It's different."

Here, she didn't have people approaching her and asking about her relationship status, constantly reminding her of how lonely she was. No, here, Sakura was treated like she was a simple kunoichi. That was all she had ever wanted: for people to respect her. They respected her here. Sure, maybe it had a little something to do with what had happened not too long ago, but still. And she had always enjoyed travelling. Call her a traveller, but she loved the change of scenery. It was partly why she wanted to become a kunoichi in the first place. If she had stayed civilian, Sakura knew her parents would have had her married by now and possibly even pregnant. While she wanted to have a family more than anything in the world, she didn't want it to be forced or feel as though she was trapped.

" _Here?"_ Sasuke repeated with a scoff. "Why would you like it here? You can't even shower without Tenten having to stand guard."

"I can't help being irresistible, Sasuke-kun," she sighed jokingly, flopping down on her bed. It wasn't even a second later that she was sitting up. "And they're not so bad now. Yeah, the looks make me a little uneasy, but… I don't know."

"You're restless," Itachi told her like it was the simplest thing to understand. "Most shinobi dislike staying in their village for too long."

"Do you?"

"It is rare that I am actually in Konoha for longer than a week," he murmured after a couple of minutes. "I have mixed feelings. Although I enjoy being home, there are moments when I wish I was still away and out of the village."

It made him feel free. Sakura smiled understandingly. "I'm nearly always stuck in the hospital." She shrugged, her smile slipping away slowly. "So it's nice to get away for a while on a mission." Sighing happily, she continued, saying, "It's so quiet here. You'd think, what with it being a base camp filled with shinobi, that it'd be louder."

"Like you said, it is a base camp." He smirked. "We must be prepared and have our guards up at all times."

She rolled her eyes and let out a soft sounding chuckle. "I forgot that guys can't multitask like us women can."

Both Uchiha men raised an eyebrow, one looking a little annoyed whereas the other was amused. "What has given you the impression that we cannot multitask?" Itachi questioned, his smirk widening for a moment before it simmered down. "Are you underestimating us?"

Was that discomfort on Sasuke's features? Sakura smirked, glancing between the two brothers until Itachi also took note of the way he was feeling. It seemed that despite his words earlier that morning, he was uncomfortable with hearing harmless teasing. Gods, if he thought that was bad…

No, they couldn't tease him too much. That would be mean of them.

"Definitely not," Sakura murmured, leaning back on her elbows and smirking. "I know not to underestimate either of you, I'm simply saying that you can't multitask. It's a known fact that men are distracted one way or another."

To prove her point, she stretched her legs out, crossing one of the other and she noticed instantly that his attention was diverted, eyes trained on her long, creamy legs. It was daring of her to wear a short skirt at the base camp, but now that she knew she could handle herself, she felt more confident.

"Anyway," Sakura pushed off the bed until she was sitting up straight, stretching her arms over her head and arching her back, inwardly grinning when she saw Itachi's eyes lingering on her body. It seemed even the great Uchiha Itachi could feel sexually frustrated every now and again. She stood up and turned her back on the two Uchiha (one staring at her, the other clueless as to how badly she was teasing his older brother), zipping up her flak jacket. "I suppose I should–"

Oh no.

When she cut off from her sentence, Sasuke scowled. "What is it?"

"Um…" Sakura turned back around and made her way over to the bed with slow movements, smiling sheepishly. "I need your help with something."

* * *

Naruto sighed happily. There was nothing like sitting beside a campfire with friends after a sparring session, eating ramen. Of course, cup ramen was not as good as Ichiraku's, but whatever. It still tasted good – it simply was not the best.

He was avoiding the cabin for a short while at Sakura's request (order). Apparently, Itachi and Sasuke had a lot of catching up to do or something of the sort. It didn't matter to Naruto, really. If they needed privacy, they could have it. He was happy enough sitting with the others, laughing distractedly at some of the jokes being told over the fire between the other shinobi. On one of his sides were Neji and Tenten, on the other, Sai and Tenzo.

So into his ramen, Naruto did not notice how the shinobi suddenly stopped everything and tensed, their heads snapping in the direction of Team Seven's cabin. The door was open, meaning they could hear what was being said if those inside were being loud. For the entire day, the others had merely been tuning out anything that was heard (but since Itachi spoke quietly and Sasuke kept his voice lowered, they didn't need to tune anything out until Sakura entered and left the door open).

" _Harder, Sasuke–kun_ ," they all heard her groan with annoyance. " _You need to be a little rougher_."

There was a sound of a grunt. " _I'm going to hurt you if I do_."

Izumo and Kotetsu tugged at their collars, their cheeks burning. Many others copied.

Something made the sound of a thud in the cabin, like something heavy had been dropped, making Naruto pause and lift his head away from his cup ramen, eyes narrowing in confusion. "What's happening?"

Somebody covered his mouth, forcing him to shut up. And almost choke on his food.

" _Sasuke–kun_!" She sounded breathless.

Naruto's face flushed red from lack of oxygen and he batted the hand away from his mouth. "They're not having sex," he muttered with disgust, rolling his eyes and turning back to his food. "You're all as bad as Ero-Sennin."

But then Sakura released a noise that was a mixture of a grunt, a cry and a gasp all into one.

" _Itachi-san_ ," she whined. " _Will you try and finish–"_

Ramen was suddenly spat out as Naruto coughed almost violently.

" _Of course,_ " his voice was nothing but a murmur and there was the sound of a bed shifting, of clothing turning this way and that. " _Which way–_ "

" _Any_ ," Sakura whimpered. " _I feel like I'm about to lose my mind_."

"What?" Naruto practically yelled, throwing his cup of ramen to the ground and stomping over to the open doored cabin, ready to beat seven shades of crap out of anyone who dared to touch _his_ Sakura-chan. "What the hell is going on in here? Are you guys having a–"

He cut himself off.

And then he began laughing. Loudly.

Sasuke was kneeling on his bed, looking annoyed while Itachi was standing in front of Sakura, his features strangely focused and hers were twisted into a pained grimace. Following the older Uchiha's hands, Naruto blinked in surprise when he saw what their problem was. Somehow, Sakura had managed to get not only her hair, but also her sweatshirt caught into the zip of her flak jacket and with every movement, it tugged harshly on her hair.

Clutching his stomach tightly, Naruto continued to laugh, practically trembling with it.

But then something hit him on the head, knocking him back out of the door.

"Shut the hell up, you idiot!" Sakura yelled angrily. "Do you – ow, ow, _ow_! _Itachi-isan!"_

"Forgive me, Sakura-san," he murmured, once more trying to loosen the zip's hold on her hair and sweatshirt, but it was no use. "It seems you will have to cut your hair." What? Naruto immediately lost all humour, his eyes widening. "Not by much – only an inch or so. How exactly did your hair and sweatshirt get stuck in your zip in the first place?"

She groaned and not long after, she was pouting. But Naruto knew that expression. It was her don't-look-at-me-I'm-totally-innocent look, meaning she wasn't innocent in the slightest. "I don't know."

Pulling a kunai out of his pouch, he lifted it and was about to cut her hair free, but Naruto was quick to intervene, his heart in his throat as he grabbed Itachi's hand.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded, startled to say the least. "You can't cut Sakura-chan's hair."

"And why is that?"

"It looks better long!" the blond told him seriously, ignoring the vicious glare he was now receiving. "Yeah, short hair suits her too, but I like it better long."

"Stop being so dramatic, Naruto," muttered Sasuke irritably. "Itachi said it'll only be an inch or two."

Shaking his head in a rare show of disbelief, Itachi gently lifted his hand to Sakura's hair, firmly holding it so that it didn't slip too much and ending in him taking too much length off, making Naruto turn his back on the horrific sight, eyes squeezing shut just to be on the safe side. Gods, it was like being betrayed. He loved Sakura's hair and he felt his heart sink when he heard the sound of hair being cut, followed shortly by a groan of relief as the harsh tugging finally stopped. Reluctantly, he turned with watery eyes, watching as Itachi wordlessly evened out the length. It appeared Sakura appreciated it greatly and once done, she had no problem with forcibly tearing her sweatshirt out of the zip. But Naruto couldn't focus on anything other than the hair lost in battle.

"Just so you all know." Shisui was smirking when they glanced up, leaning against the doorway. "The entire camp believes that you three-" He gestured to Sasuke, Sakura and Itachi. "-are having a threesome."

"But Itachi-san and Sasuke-kun are brothers," Sakura exclaimed in disgust before stomping over to the door and sticking her head out of it, glaring over at the camp fire. "You bunch of perverts."

Quite a few of them paled and Naruto couldn't blame them. Her anger was terrifying, making him forget entirely about the hair.

"Allow them to make their assumptions." Itachi sighed, replacing his kunai. "Sakura-san, what–"

"Here." She smiled, cupping her hands and accepting the hair. "Do you mind using a fire jutsu to burn it?" Shisui blinked in surprise, but he and Sasuke understood why and it had the blond inwardly smirking. He finally knew something others didn't and what made it better was that they were both supposed to be geniuses. Ha! Genius his ass. "I'd rather not leave parts of my DNA lying around, even if it's here."

It took all of three seconds to incinerate the hair in her hands and Naruto sighed with relief at the fact her hands were not also burned. It'd taken Sasuke so long to control the fire to keep that from happening and she'd had to heal herself several times.

"Itachi, there's a scroll for you from Tsunade-sama."

He nodded once, saying a polite goodbye before he left with Shisui, leaving Team Seven by themselves.

Naruto glanced at Sakura and Sasuke. "You know–"

"Don't," Sasuke snapped, cutting the blond off harshly.

He pouted.

* * *

With a sigh, Sakura peeled the clothes from her body, glancing over her shoulder for a moment to make sure that Tenten was keeping watch. It may have been better to cut back on taking so many showers, but she couldn't do that. Maybe it was her medic side, maybe just her womanly side, but Sakura could not go a day without finding some way to wash herself. Even when travelling, she always found a way to bathe or at least change her clothes.

Some kunoichi, right?

Naruto once told her that he believed being a shinobi meant they endured. Endured what? Anything life threw at them. Most of the time Sakura could agree. She just had to be clean. It was a simple fact. Even Sasuke agreed with her – Kakashi, too. The latter could go two or three days without showering, however. She and Sasuke could not. Naruto… It wasn't a surprise he could go a while without cleaning himself. The guy was a pig.

Once completely undressed, Sakura stepped into the shower stall and reached for the start button, but just as she did a noise stopped her.

"Do you hear that?" Sakura asked, quickly moving out of the stall and wrapping her towel around her body.

Glancing over her shoulder at her, Tenten frowned. "Hurry up and shower, Sakura. I can't hear a thing."

Eyebrows knitting together in confusion, she moved back into the shower stall and while keeping her towel wrapped around her, reached for the dial once more.

But then she heard it again.

The sound of crying.

A _child_ crying.

She didn't waste time in leaving the showers, towel wrapped firmly around her as she ignored Tenten, brushing by her and it seemed that in response to her sudden urgency, many paused in their movements and watched with narrowed eyes. With a single nod, Itachi, Naruto and Neji joined after her, Tenten a moment behind them once she shook off her shock.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto called, matching her pace with ease. "What's wrong?"

"Can't you hear that?" she demanded angrily, not even feeling the roughness of stones and sticks digging into her bare feet. If there was a child in need of her help, she would give it to them. When silence greeted Sakura, she scowled. "Crying. I can hear a child crying!"

Neji quickly activated his byakugan. "Stop."

Itachi narrowed his eyes and turned his head in the direction of north. "I can hear the child."

Also picking up on the sob, Naruto sniffed the air, stiffening as he did so. "Blood," he mumbled, making her heart pound. "Lots of it." She must have looked desperate, because he suddenly darted in a different direction, grabbing her hand and dragging her with him. "This way. Not too far…"

The sight that greeted them shattered Sakura's heart.

Slumped against the base of a large tree, panting for breath and sobbing, was a child who looked no more than eight years old. The ends of her blonde hair were red with her blood, her warm brown eyes hazy and lidded with exhaustion and pain. It was obvious that she had been trying desperately to get up as there were claw marks in the ground, ones that were deepened when her small fingers went over them again and again as she writhed in agony. It was enough to bring tears to her eyes, witnessing the agony of a child.

Instantly, Sakura fell to her knees beside the young girl, startling her. "It's okay, I'm a medic," she told her softly. "I'm going to heal you. I'll make you better."

More tears fell from her eyes. "P-Please…"

It broke her heart how so very young she sounded, her childlike voice begging her to help and she found herself struggling to remain composed. "Try to relax. My name's Sakura. What's yours?"

"Aiko," she gasped.

"Aiko-chan." Sakura smiled softly, summoning her chakra until her palms were glowing green. "That's a pretty name. It means 'beloved', doesn't it?"

She trembled, a cry of pain escaping her clenched teeth.

"Focus on me, Aiko-chan," she murmured, lifting her left hand and gently cupping the girl's cheek. It worried her how cold she was. "Can you count backwards from ten?" She nodded quickly. "Can you do that for me now?"

"T-Ten…" Aiko whimpered.

The chakra in Sakura's palm suddenly changed and instead of only healing Aiko, it was now putting her to sleep and numbing the pain. It would make healing the child so much easier.

"Nine."

Cradling the back of the blonde's head, Sakura leaned forward and lowered her slowly and gently onto the ground, eyes softening at the desperation she could see and the way she weakly grabbed at her arm. It didn't bother her that a bloody handprint was left behind.

"…Eight," her voice was now a whisper, her eyes becoming unfocused.

Neji, using his byakugan, searched the area for the ones who had attacked the girl, but reported that he found no-one. All he could see was a building that had been completely destroyed and was burned to the ground. The others were all on high alert.

"Se…"

And then Aiko was asleep.

Sighing, she got to work but there wasn't much she could do out there, so she settled for stopping the bleeding and closing the most fatal wounds, ensuring she would make it back to the camp. It sickened her that there were so many injuries to the child's body, but it also informed her that she was no ordinary child. To last as long as she had…

Regardless of her status, it was devastating knowing that somebody had inflicted such pain to a child. Many times, she had to blink back her tears, apologising under her breath since the chances of Aiko being caught in the crossfire of their dispute with Iwa was so high. It would be their fault, wouldn't it? She was hurt because of them. That had to be the only reason behind her being attacked.

"We need to take her back to camp," she told them, voice thick and Sakura refused to look at them, knowing that she was being emotionally weak.

"Sakura–"

"I'm not leaving her behind," Sakura interrupted Neji as she brushed the blonde hair out of the young girl's eyes, healing her head wound simultaneously. "And I still need to heal her."

Itachi was disapproving, she could tell just from the sound of his voice. "This is not the type of place to bring a child."

She closed her eyes, never stopping the soothing movement on the girl's face as it seemed to calm her slightly. Even in sleep, Aiko was tense and obviously frightened, but her presence was soothing her. "I can't leave her behind. It's my duty as a medic-nin to protect _everyone_ if I can. She won't survive out here alone and she's between our camps and the border, meaning she'll be caught up in the battles."

"And if there is a battle at the base camp? I'll contact Sai and have him–"

"No," Sakura argued, cutting off Tenten. How could they argue with her when it was so plain to see that Aiko was comforted by her? Waking up in a strange hospital in a shinobi village would terrify her. "If we send her on such a long journey now, she'll die. I need to heal her wounds as soon as I can and it will only take two minutes to get back to camp. From there, I will protect her. She can share my food and anything else she may need."

There was a sound of a sigh a moment before Itachi was kneeling beside her, silently watching the young girl until he looked to Sakura. "She is not a pet. You cannot claim responsibility of a child, especially not out here. You are not the one who is in charge of camp four, Sakura-san. I am. If anything happens, it will come back to me and I cannot risk the lives of many others because of your need to take care of one child."

But… Aiko needed her. The journey really would finish her off - and how could she be so sure that Sai would take proper care of her? He was so goddamn clueless. He would probably say something that scared the hell out of her. And what if she tried to get away from the stranger? She could potentially fall to her death. And while it was without a doubt that Aiko would be treated in the village, she would also be a suspicious character. They wouldn't trust her.

Gods, she was just a child!

No matter how hard she tried, there was no denying that Sakura was close to tears. "Itachi-san." Her eyes glanced up to his, desperate. "Itachi–san, _please_. She's just an innocent little girl caught up in _our_ wars. Look at her! She can't be any older than eight – just a child. She is _just a child_."

"What if this is some sort of trap?" Itachi questioned. "How would you feel if this girl turns out to be an Iwa-nin's child–"

"They wouldn't–"

"You do not know what clans do, Sakura-san." His voice was firmer now, much more serious. It made her shut up immediately, for there was also a hard edge to it. That wasn't even bringing up the fact that Neji's eyes hardened, like he was silently agreeing with Itachi. "Many children who are classed as prodigies or geniuses are used this way. What makes this child any different? You cannot tell, putting us all at risk. As your superior I demand that you–"

Closing her eyes, Sakura took a deep breath, once again cutting him off. "Please, Itachi," she whispered, her voice broken. "You're right, I don't know what happens within clans or to children labelled as prodigies, but what I do know is that this girl is just a child and she is seriously injured. No parent could inflict such a wound on their child." Opening her eyes, she gazed up at him sadly, yet with determination. "If it turns out that she's a spy, or is being used the way you said she could be, I will deal with that myself."

Neji's eyes narrowed even further. "And how will you do that? We all know you won't kill her."

Even Tenten looked startled at his callous words. "Neji, you can't seriously expect somebody to kill an innocent child," the brunette argued in disbelief. "Look at her! She's completely defenceless and terrified."

Sakura kept her eyes locked with Itachi's, heart in her throat. "I'll never be able to forgive myself if we don't at least try."

Itachi sighed and stood up. "Naruto-kun, please carry Aiko-chan back to the camp." She quickly climbed to her feet, smiling gratefully at him. "She will be staying with your team, Sakura, meaning that she will be _your_ responsibility. Not Sasuke's and not Naruto-kun's. _Yours_. Is that understood?"

"Understood. Thank you, Itachi. I promise that you won't regret it."


	11. We Won't Hurt You

**Chapter 10**

**We Won't Hurt You**

* * *

The next couple of days were long.

As Sakura had expected, Sasuke was not pleased about the new temporary addition to their team, but also as she expected, he said very little about it. It was simply in the way he held himself and the air he gave off.

Aiko had been unconscious for all of the first day while Sakura worked on her. Not only healing her but also gathering whatever information she could. The child had fairly large chakra reserves, but she was not skilled in using it, meaning she was either beginning to learn the basics or was from a shinobi background. Also, whoever had attacked her had been trying to kill her, meaning it was definitely not somebody trying to use her as some sort of spy. Sakura had made it just in time to save her. She'd tried not to be _too_ haughty about that part when she shared the news to the others, who'd all doubted her.

Did she understand their suspicions? Yes, absolutely. Had she been in their positions, she would have understood entirely. But Sakura couldn't find it in herself to care, not when there was an innocent child relying on her to help her.

Thankfully, there was a spare mattress due to Neji and Tenten sharing a bed, so after Tenzo had created another frame, Sakura set up the spare bed for Aiko, grateful that it was close to her own. The young girl, even in sleep, seemed terrified. Hell, during the night she had to use genjutsu to calm Aiko's mind, to stop her nightmares.

Then on the second day, Aiko woke up.

She panicked at first, thrashing around and crying out, but Sakura had managed to calm her down after a short while, helping her through breathing exercises that usually worked to calm her patients. Naruto had left when she first woke up to go and get the team (including Aiko) some breakfast, while Sasuke sat awkwardly on his bed, no doubt unsure of what to do. He was fresh from the shower, his brother having helped him to and from the shower area earlier that morning when the rest of the camp were all sleeping.

"Aiko-chan," Sakura spoke softly, brushing the hair out of her eyes. "You're okay. Remember me? My name's Sakura. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

There was careful hope in Aiko's eyes, a desperation that made her insides ache. "W-Who's he?"

Glancing over her shoulder, she asked, "Who? Him?" Aiko nodded. "Oh, he's just my teammate." She heard Sasuke huff with annoyance and smiled. "And I suppose he's one of my best friends. He won't hurt you either, not only because I can be scary when I want to be, but also because he's not a bad guy."

Something about Sasuke seemed to have caught Aiko's attention as she shakily sat up, her body trembling with the effort. "What's wrong with your eyes?"

It didn't surprise either of them. After all, it would be kind of strange to see somebody staring down at the bed, but obviously not seeing what was in front of them. However, Sakura knew that the question bothered Sasuke, as he gritted his teeth and scowled at the far wall.

"He hurt his eyes, Aiko-chan." She gave the girl a certain look, silently telling her not to continue asking questions and, seeing his reaction, the blonde slowly nodded. "But I'm going to take care of both of you."

"Why?"

Sakura smiled softly. "I'm a medic, Aiko-chan. It's my duty to protect and heal."

Not too long after her words, Naruto returned with Itachi behind him, the pair of them carrying food. Much to her gratefulness, the former seemed to understand why she was so desperate to help the young girl, never forcing her to explain herself or her actions. Instead, he helped whenever he could, allowing her to work tirelessly over Aiko.

"Here you go, Aiko-chan," Naruto said with a smile, handing the girl a tray filled with food while Itachi handed a tray to Sasuke. "And here's yours, Sakura-chan!"

When he leaned down, she gripped his face tightly with one hand. "Don't even think about kissing me, Naruto."

Aiko giggled, but those giggles exploded into laughter at the sight of Naruto's face. It was pretty funny, she supposed. The way Sakura was squeezing it caused his face to look extremely odd and in response to her laughter, the pink haired woman smiled brightly, looking down at her with warm eyes. It was nice seeing such a carefree look in her eyes - it was how children were supposed to look. Not worn down by the horrors of shinobi life, but free of burdens and happy. And she had caused that.

"Aiko-chan, after breakfast I want to examine you fully, okay?" The girl paused mid–bite, looking confused. "Don't worry, I've healed the serious wounds, but I thought it best to wait until you wake up before I examine you further."

"She is a child, Sakura. Just get it over with and–"

"Shut up," Sakura snapped, her eyes narrowing dangerously. Her anger stunned them all, but she didn't care. Not fully. The only one she excused was Sasuke, since he couldn't see the fear on Aiko's face like the others could. He couldn't see her fear of being examined. Gods, didn't any of them know how delicate children were? How scary it was to constantly find themselves having to rely on strangers? "Listen, Aiko-chan. In order to make sure you're one hundred percent healed, I need to examine you fully. How old are you?"

Her hands were shaking. "E-Eleven." Their stunned silence must have caught her attention, as her eyes widened. "Did I… Did I do something…?"

"No, no," Sakura assured her quietly, though couldn't deny her worry. "You're just very small for your age, is all. I honestly believed you were only seven or eight when we found you. Now, I'm more determined to fully examine you, Aiko-chan. Yesterday I learned that you're malnourished, meaning you haven't been eating properly or eating enough for a growing girl your age, but don't worry. I promise that I'll take care of you. You can trust me. I simply want your permission before I examine you."

Brown eyes gazed around the room, landing on Sasuke first, then Naruto, then Itachi and finally, Sakura. "Do they have to be here?"

An understanding look flooded her features and she did her utmost to soften her voice for her, explaining, "I'm sorry, but Itachi _does_ have to be here. While we're here, he's in charge of us and we must do everything he says. As for Sasuke-kun, he's on strict bed rest. I can kick Naruto out because he'll only get in the way, anyway."

"Oi!"

Like she had been hoping, Aiko giggled again, the sound making her heart feel lighter.

"Itachi isn't going to judge you or hurt you, Aiko-chan. He's here so that he can help me. And remember, Sasuke-kun hurt his eyes, so he won't be able to see anything for a short while. And I'm definitely not going to judge you." Another understanding smile graced her lips. "Just so you know, I'm small for my age, too. I always have been. And because of that, I've had many of these examinations just to make sure that I'm healthy and at a safe weight for my age."

Aiko's brows wrinkled. "Safe weight?"

"You look a little underweight, Aiko-chan," Sakura murmured patiently, reaching out and carefully placing her hand onto the girl's rib cage. "See this? I shouldn't be able to feel your rib cage like this. Yes, it's normal for it to show when you're breathing in, but not to this extent. This is not safe weight." Gently taking Aiko's hand, she placed it onto the lower half of her rib cage. It wasn't the right way to explain it, but it was simpler for a child to understand. "Now, feel this. You can't feel my ribs as easily as you can feel yours, can you?"

Slowly, she pulled back her hand and shook her head, feeling her own rib cage to see the difference for herself. "So… You're at a safe weight now, Sakura-sama?"

She chuckled, amused by the honorific title. "Just call me Sakura, Aiko-chan. And yes, I am. My team wouldn't have it any other way." She shot a darkening look over to the two men. "…Will you, _boys_?"

Instantly, Naruto paled and gulped loudly. "N-No… Sakura-chan!"

Sasuke merely grunted.

"You'll come to understand our Sasuke-kun." Sakura smirked down at Aiko, who was now staring up at her with wide, awe filled eyes. It had an immense pride filling her knowing that she was being looked up to in such a way. "He's not a man of many words. This-" she gestured to Itachi. "-is Sasuke-kun's older brother, Itachi. He's also not a man of many words. However-" Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the however. "-they're both men you can trust. I know I'm repeating myself, but I just want you to know that. Nobody here will hurt you. I promise."

"That's because they're all scared of you, Sakura-chan," Naruto grumbled.

Her dark look was back. "What was that, Naruto?"

"N-Nothing!"

"Idiot." Sasuke shook his head with annoyance.

Eventually, after eating their breakfast, Aiko agreed to the examination, although asked if Naruto could leave the room. She understood that Itachi had to be there and that Sasuke could not see, but there was no reason for the blond to be there, so Naruto didn't mind and went to go and spar with Shisui again, saying with a growl that he had to get the Uchiha back for their last spar. Also, over breakfast, Aiko became much more comfortable with them, opening up a little bit more. Itachi was near silent, though, watching the young girl out of the corner of his eyes and while it aggravated Sakura how closely he was watching her, she understood that he was thinking of everybody's safety. She was simply grateful that he didn't show how closely he was watching Aiko, how he still replied to her when she spoke to him directly.

"I'll be back in a moment, Aiko-chan," Sakura told her. "I just need to go to the storage cabin and get a few things."

* * *

Sensing that she had left hurriedly in an attempt to be back as soon as possible, Sasuke sighed.

That instinct in Sakura, the one that _made_ her want to help everyone, was going to be her inevitable downfall. Even though she had no children of her own, she still had a maternal streak and always, _always_ , did everything she possibly could to help children, to heal them or even just to see them smile. But then again, that was what made her Sakura. If she didn't have that edge to her, that maternal instinct, she wouldn't care as much as she did. Kakashi had once called her the mother hen of their team (or a lioness when she saw her precious people in harm's way), now that Sasuke thought about it.

It was painfully obvious how hard his teammate was trying to get the child to like her and while it should have annoyed him, he could only feel himself growing more concerned for her, because obviously Sakura would have to part ways with Aiko at some point and he knew for a fact that it would break her heart, even if she never said the words herself.

Unless…

Sakura had a habit of acting without thinking, acting on impulse and in the end, it nearly always got her hurt. She was an impulsive person. Had she even thought any of this mess through? What the hell was she planning on doing once Aiko was healed? Obviously, she wouldn't send her on her merry way. No, knowing Sakura the way he did, she would want to keep her close, to know that she was happy and healthy. He knew she was going to bring Aiko back to the village, either helping her find her way independently, or taking her in herself, but had she even thought about the stress of caring for a child? A child that wasn't even her own? Or… Was Sakura doing it because she wanted children? Sasuke knew she wanted children of her own, to find something to ease the awful feeling of loneliness, so was she doing it because of those wants?

He just didn't want to see her get hurt. Not because he would be the one to pick up the pieces, but because he couldn't stand to know she was in pain.

Just from the feeling in the air, Sasuke could tell that Aiko was nervous and he knew it would be because she was vulnerable - in a way, he could understand that feeling. Even though Sakura had healed her earlier, she was still afraid. That was no surprise, for the girl had been unconscious while being healed, meaning she wouldn't know entirely what to expect. Would he be expected to explain it to her? He hoped not. While he knew it wouldn't be her fault when it eventually happened, he knew that Aiko would be the cause of Sakura's heartbreak. How was he supposed to be okay with her?

"I had a friend who couldn't see out of one of his eyes before," Aiko suddenly said and he assumed it was to him. He grunted. "Do they hurt?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because my medic numbed them."

"Oh." There was a brief pause before she spoke again, her voice a little nervous. "Is Sakura-sama your medic?"

Why was she calling her that? It was ridiculous. "Yes."

"Does she heal good?"

"Well, Aiko-chan," Itachi murmured, unknowingly reminding Sasuke of when they were younger. He'd always correct him back then, too. "It is 'does she heal well', not good."

It seemed that, like Sakura, Aiko had the tendency to ramble when nervous. "Why is your hair so long? Has nobody ever cut it for you? It's longer than mine and nearly Sakura-sama's too and her hair is _really long_."

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk and even though he couldn't see, he could just imagine the type of look that would be on Itachi's face. That made it more fun, really. Imagining his brother looking pissed off or offended, because knowing him, he wouldn't even show his reaction.

Suddenly her attention was back onto Sasuke. "Why can't you see?"

He sighed. "Why are _you_ so annoying?"

"Sasuke," Itachi chided. "It is impolite to pick on little children."

It also wasn't polite to demand such personal answers from the injured, yet there they were.

"I'm not a little kid," Aiko snapped. It seemed she had already forgotten what Sakura had told her about being small for her age, he noted. "My friend said that I'm a big and a good girl. I bet you couldn't do anything at my age because you're just a boy. A mean, smelly boy with girl hair."

His smirk faltered for a second, his features twitching before Sasuke laughed, shocking himself with the fact that it wasn't just a chuckle or a grunt, but an actual laugh. The girl had guts. Nobody had ever dared to talk to Itachi in such a way before. Oh Gods, Sasuke wished he could see his brother's face. "Yeah, Nii–san." He smirked. "I bet–"

"Sakura-sama!"

And once again, they had lost her attention.

She reminded him of Naruto. He had the same attention span.

"Itachi-sama is picking on me."

* * *

Sakura shut the cabin door behind her and raised an eyebrow at Itachi. She knew already that it wouldn't have been anything serious - no, if it had been, Aiko would've been in tears. "You're picking on a child, Itachi?"

"Not at all," he replied smoothly. "Aiko-chan–"

"He called me little!" She pouted.

"And what did you call me in return, Aiko-chan?"

She couldn't help but laugh at him. Never before would she have thought that he was acting defensively, but… "What did you call him?"

A blush painted over Aiko's features, but it was Sasuke who replied, sounding incredibly amused as he told her, "A mean, smelly boy with girl hair."

It was from knowing Sasuke that she caught the frustrated look that flashed in Itachi's eyes. Apparently he and Sasuke were more alike than either cared to admit and didn't appreciate being mocked. "I like his hair, Aiko-chan." It was Sakura who was pouting this time, even though they could tell that it was a playful one. "Not a lot of men in my village take care of their appearance the way he does."

His eyes narrowed a fraction. "Sakura, are you insinuating that I–"

"Not at all." She smirked impishly, deciding to side with the child and get them back for her. "I'm merely saying you take care of your appearance, which is a good thing. You don't have to worry about seeming feminine. Sasuke-kun is just as bad."

Sasuke's smirk faltered. "Sakura–"

"Yeah, I remember one time, back when it was just the two of us on a mission, he spent nearly as much time as I did in front of the mirror."

His fists clenched and he gritted his teeth. "That was part of the mission. We had to be well-groomed and tidy looking. If not, then he would have refused to pay."

"I suppose so."

"Mission?" Aiko repeated, her voice going quiet. "You're shinobi?"

Hearing the pain in her voice, the growing fear, had Sakura turning to face the young girl and sitting on the edge of her bed, giving her an understanding look. Children had one of two reactions, she'd noticed and that was either to be in awe of their profession, or scared. There was very rarely an in between. And given the fact she was attacked to within an inch of her life and left to bleed out _alone_ in the middle of the forest, Aiko had more than enough reason to be scared of them.

"We are. And I know that not a lot of people agree with our profession, they think of us as bad people, say we're evil, but that's not the case. Everybody here in this camp is trying to prevent bad things from happening." The fear still had not left her features, making her stomach twist uneasily. Shit, had she lost progress? "I understand if you feel uncomfortable around us or if you fear us, but please know, Aiko-chan, I would never hurt you or allow you to be hurt."

Could she hear the genuine emotion in her voice? Could she sense her need to help? Gods, she hoped so, but what if she couldn't? What if she truly had lost the progress she'd made over the past hour?

"Every shinobi has a ninja way," Itachi surprisingly told Aiko and she could tell from the brief glance in her direction that even if Aiko couldn't hear the truth behind her words, he could. He understood her and it warmed her heart. "Sakura's is to protect her precious people, to save as many people as she can. She is not like other shinobi – she is a medic. A healer. If you cannot trust myself or Sasuke, you can trust her."

"A-And what's yours, Itachi-sama?" Aiko asked quietly, her eyes nervously going from Sakura's to Itachi's. "Your ninja way?"

"It is to do what I must to protect my village and those who are a part of it."

"Sasuke-sama, what–"

"It is the same as my brother's, as Sakura's."

She bit her lip worriedly. "Is Naruto-sama's the same?"

Sakura gave a small, teasing smirk. "Don't let him hear you calling him that, it'll go to his head." Then, she grew serious. "Naruto's ninja way is to never run away and never go back on his word. It's inspired a lot of people, now that I think about it."

Aiko shifted uncomfortably, her eyes falling to the bed. "I-I thought… that shinobi were b-bad people…"

With obvious hesitancy, Sakura moved further onto the bed, but immediately paused when the young girl flinched and instead of pushing any further, she stayed where she was and folded her legs beneath her, keeping her hands on her legs to prove to Aiko that she meant no harm. "Not all shinobi are bad people. Sometimes, they just make bad choices. All of my friends, despite what they do, are not bad people. We do what we have to, to make sure those who live in our village are safe, that they can live in peace and feel safe."

"Your village?"

"Konoha," Sakura said slowly, watching the reaction that played on Aiko's features. Her eyes had widened, but there was thankfully no fear in her eyes. "Right now, we're not on good terms with Iwa, which is why we're out here right now instead of back home. We're out here so that those in our village don't have to worry about a war starting."

It made her chest ache when Aiko's bottom lip started to tremble, terror etching itself deeply into her features. "I-Iwa… Iwa-nin. They… T-They killed them…"

There was nothing Sakura wanted more than to grab Aiko and pull her into a comforting embrace, but the girl was still scared, she was still trembling and now, she was crying, too. Sasuke was silent, his eyebrows knitting together and Itachi was just as quiet, although now it was obvious he was no longer suspicious of Aiko. No child could put on such an act and there was no henge to make her seem younger. She knew he would have sensed it immediately. But there would obviously still be concern, because why hadn't they heard anything? Why had they not seen or even smelled the fire that had burnt the house to the ground? It just didn't make any sense unless something had gone wrong in the seal around camp. Surely that wasn't possible, though?

"Who, Aiko-chan?" she asked softly. "Can you tell us what happened?"

"Mama…" Aiko sobbed loudly. "Papa… They… Iwa-nin… They broke into our home and hurt them. I could hear Mama c-crying and screaming. Papa wasn't moving…" She trembled once more. "She yelled at me to run a-and don't stop! _I couldn't stop!_ But they c-caught me… with their weapons. They were laughing and t-then… M-My home… it was gone! And they were laughing. I tried… I tried to fight them, but… I couldn't."

And when the dam broke, when Aiko began wailing with the loss of her family, Sakura couldn't help but move forward and hold her tightly, whispering soft words into her ear, rubbing her back soothingly. Her eyes locked with Itachi's when she looked over Aiko's shoulder and it was obvious he was stunned by the amount of emotion in them, by her tears, but what the hell had he expected? For her to be some kind of heartless monster who couldn't feel empathy? Sympathy? She was just a child. A child who had been forced to witness the ruthless murder of her parents.

A second later and Sakura was closing her eyes and tightening her hold on the young girl.

"Aiko-chan," she murmured softly when the sobs began to quieten. "Please allow me to examine you. I want to make sure you're going to make a full recovery." Pulling back, Sakura wiped Aiko's cheeks softly, wiping away the tears. "And when my role here at the camp is over and they no longer need me, I'm going to take you back to Konoha with me."

A hopeful smile pulled at her lips, the feeling of her acceptance making her heart lurch with happiness. She really seemed to like her. "W-With you?"

Sakura nodded but quickly added, "If that's what you want."

"Sakura, you can't–"

"Don't, Sasuke-kun." She sighed, glancing over her shoulder at him. While he would partially understand, he wouldn't completely get it. None of them would. "This is my decision. I want to give Aiko-chan whatever I can to make her happy. It's the least she deserves. If I can take care of her, if I can make her feel safe and happy…" Sakura trailed off and turned back to Aiko, giving her a smile. "What do you say?"

Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were tear stained. "I…" She turned her head away, biting her lip. "I don't want to become a shinobi."

Smiling softly, she reached out and cupped Aiko's cheek, turning her face so that she was looking at her. "Then don't be one. There are so many other things that you can do in the village. Right now, however, you're at the age to go to civilian school."

Aiko groaned. "Do I really have to go?"

"Yes." Sakura grinned. There was no denying her excitement at the thought of taking such a role. "Until you're sixteen."

Sasuke blinked in surprise. "I didn't know that."

"That is because you never pay attention to civilians, Sasuke," Itachi murmured. "While those at the academy stay there until they are twelve – or in other cases, until they have graduated – it is different for civilians. They stay in school until they are sixteen. No exceptions or early graduation."

The young girl watched Itachi for a moment before glancing up at Sakura. "…Maybe I should just be a shinobi. That way, I don't have to go to boring school."

Sakura ruffled the girl's hair and stood up, going over to the supplies she had left on the dresser. "School isn't that boring, you know. I actually kind of liked it." Noticing Aiko's look of confusion, she shrugged. "I'm from a civilian background, so up until I was of age to enter the academy, I went to civilian school. It's honestly not so bad. Being at the academy was a lot harder." And traumatising, if she was thinking about those who had bullied her. "Look, we'll let you settle down in the village before making any decisions, okay?"

"You still live at home with your parents."

"Then I'll find my own place, Sasuke-kun." She had been meaning to anyway, just never found the right time. Now, the time had come.

"And what makes you so sure you can look after a child? You're a kunoichi. Not only that, but you're the Hokage's apprentice, one of the best healers Konoha has. You can't just give all that up," he argued. "Sakura–"

"I've thought this through," she replied with a sigh, once more sitting on Aiko's bed. Yes, she knew she was impulsive and often threw herself into messes she sometimes couldn't get herself out of, but… Seeing Aiko watching her silently, waiting to see some kind of reaction, Sakura smiled softly. The child was still bruised and covered in her own blood, as she'd wanted to wait for permission before washing and changing her. It would be bad enough waking up in a stranger's room, but realising they'd seen such a vulnerable side to her would be terrifying. As much as she wanted to clean her up and take proper care of her, she refused to overstep any boundaries. No, she would earn her trust and make sure she was happy with everything going on. "I want to bring up Aiko-chan."

Just as Sasuke was about to say more, Itachi cut him off. "Allow her this, Sasuke. If Sakura wishes to take care of Aiko-chan then it is her choice. She is nineteen years old, meaning she is no longer a child."

"Lay on your back for me, Aiko-chan," she murmured after sending Itachi a grateful smile. Slowly, unsurely, the young girl did so, her eyes a fraction wider than usual as she watched Sakura. She smiled. "Don't worry. Examinations don't hurt. It'll feel a little weird at first because you'll be able to feel my chakra, but it's not so bad. I've been told my chakra has a comforting feeling to it."

"It tingles," Sasuke grunted and Sakura felt her heart warming, knowing he was trying to ease Aiko's worries in his own way. "The first time. It almost feels like pins and needles, only not as painful as they can be."

Moving to the side of Aiko, Sakura gave her another smile before summoning her chakra, her palms glowing green, and placing them over her body. She didn't miss the startled, scared look from Aiko, but thankfully the blonde didn't squirm or try to get away. Doing so while having chakra invading the body was extremely dangerous depending on how badly the person was injured or what part of the body the medic was working on.

She closed her eyes and concentrated hard. The reason why Sakura had asked permission before fully examining Aiko was because the young girl had been showing a few signs of being sexually assaulted, such as her fear of men, of being undressed (she wasn't to know how a medic-nin examined a person - she would be under the illusion that it was how an ordinary doctor or nurse worked) or alone. It was in her body language during certain conversations. When she'd discussed her run in with Iwa-nin, she'd been petrified, closing in on herself, keeping certain parts of her body covered.

Oh Gods, she hoped that wasn't the case. Sakura hoped more than anything that she was making something out of nothing. That it was normal anxiety after the terror she'd been through.

Starting with her chest, she examined Aiko's heart and lungs closely, focusing entirely on them for a moment. The stab wound had been right around that area and had punctured her lung. Well, one of the stab wounds had. Altogether there had been around five of them, although a couple were not as serious as the rest. One could barely be counted as a stab wound.

Happy that Aiko was healing well, Sakura smiled to herself and moved upwards, checking for any possible head injuries that she could have missed. There were none. And after going over her spinal chord (despite having done so when healing her), she moved back down, becoming more careful and hesitant as she did so. The wound on her side was almost one hundred percent healed, but it would be sore for a while, especially if she had never suffered wounds such as those before. She numbed the pain for Aiko and beneath her, the girl grew more relaxed, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.

Sakura opened her eyes and looked down at Aiko's features. She had closed her eyes, looking as though she could be sleeping. Utterly relaxed. Her eyebrows knitted together. What if she found evidence, found wounds or anything else that showed Aiko had been sexually assaulted? It broke her heart just thinking about it. The girl was only eleven but some monsters just didn't care how old their victims were.

"Sakura," Itachi murmured when he noticed she had slowly come to a stop in her examination. He knew because her hands had stopped moving and the green glow slowly began to fade. "Continue with your examination."

Biting her bottom lip, she nodded quickly, the glow increasing and her hands moving downwards. And finally, she reached her destination, the place that would show her answers.

There was nothing there.

She couldn't even help but smile brightly, truly happy that Aiko hadn't been abused in such a way, despite showing the signs of something such as that happening. Going over the girl's legs, Sakura healed the bruises and scratches on them as well as the grazes from where she had fallen over, before extracting her chakra, her smile still present.

"You're healthy, Aiko-chan," she told her. "And you're healing nicely. I'd say a few more healing sessions and you'll feel no pain at all, although we'll let a few injuries heal by themselves. That way, your body won't be overwhelmed if you're ever injured in the future."

Healing everything all the time wasn't natural, Tsunade had once informed Sakura when she'd discovered her apprentice misused her chakra to heal mere headaches and other minor aches. It left the body vulnerable and unable to cope with pain, it was especially dangerous if she was to suffer a major injury as it had the potential to send her into shock.

Slowly her eyes opened and she blinked up at Sakura, seeming to absorb the news for a few moments before also smiling brightly. "Thank you, Sakura-sama."

There was no use in telling her not to call her that. Perhaps over time she would grow out of it. "I have one question, though." Aiko nodded. "Were your parents shinobi? Or skilled in using their chakra? You have rather large reserves and it seems like you've been learning how to use your chakra."

It was silent for a short while as Aiko stared down at the bed. "They were retired," she whispered. "Papa couldn't walk anymore because of a mission. Something happened to his legs. So me and Mama took care of him. We took turns going into the forest and hunting or getting firewood."

Which was most likely why her mother had been teaching her to use chakra. The forest was filled with many different creatures and not all were the type to just run away from a hungry child. Some were territorial beasts who were just as hungry. There was also the chance that her mother would have had to take into account that there could possibly be shinobi around – rogue-nin, too.

Aiko wiped her eyes before her tears could fall, her blonde eyebrows mashing together. "I tried using what… what Mama taught me… to fight the bad guys… b-but they were… they were too strong. They were… They were hurting her and Mama wouldn't stop crying. It hurt hearing her in pain. I didn't like… s-seeing them hurt her."

Showing signs of being a victim of sexual assault, only it hadn't been her who was assaulted. It had been her mother. The traumatised, pale look on her features, the wideness of her brown eyes said it all. And Itachi knew that too. So did Sasuke even though he couldn't see her. They had both gone silent, although the latter's fists had clenched tightly, his teeth gritting, while Itachi's eyes narrowed a fraction and he took a deep, calming breath through his nose.

She suppressed her urge to cry with her. No, Aiko needed her too much. She'd seen way too many children fall onto dark paths because of their professions and for the first time ever, she had the chance to make a change. She would make damn sure that little girl got the best life she could ever ask for.

"I will contact Hokage-sama," the older Uchiha stated, standing from his seat. "Sakura, perhaps you should take Aiko-chan to use the showers. It is humid today and a shower will cool her off."

That sounded like a good idea. The young girl looked rather warm and was sweating lightly. They all were.

"What do you say, Aiko-chan?" she asked, nonchalantly wiping underneath her eyes. "Do you want to take a shower?"

She nodded, attempting to calm herself and Sakura placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing comfortingly.

"Sasuke, I will come back in a short while and take you down to the facilities."

Despite his obvious frustration, Sasuke muttered, "Later. I just had one."

Which meant when everybody else was asleep. He didn't like using the showers or the bathroom when the others were awake. If he tripped up or something, they would all see it.

Standing, Sakura made her way over to the dresser, going through it for a couple of moments before she picked out a few items. "These won't fit you, but they're clean. Itachi, if you can will you ask Tsunade-shishou to send a few things for Aiko-chan? I'll get her size for you soon." He nodded once and left, no doubt going to begin his report. "These are mine and they're probably the closest to your size than anybody else's."

Aiko frowned as she was helped out of bed and to her feet. "Won't you need them, Sakura-sama?"

"No, I'll be fine. I have several others," she told her, folding the clothes over her arm and holding out her hand to Aiko, toiletries bag hanging off the crook of her elbow. The blonde took it after only a few seconds of hesitation. "Besides, if I run out of shirts, I'm sure Sasuke-kun or Naruto won't mind sharing theirs with me."

He scoffed. " _You_ wearing _my_ shirts?"

Sakura pouted playfully even though he couldn't see her. "Naruto's always smell like ramen, Sasuke-kun. Would you really put me through that sort of pain?"

"Yes. The last time you 'borrowed' one of my shirts, you never gave it back and when I saw it in your home, it was stained with makeup and who knows what else."

She rolled her eyes and glanced down at Aiko. "Sasuke-kun is part of this powerful clan and he thinks that because of this, anything with his clan's emblem on is sacred. Including his shirts."

Aiko giggled, much to his palpable annoyance.

"Come on, then," Sakura told her, guiding her out of the cabin. "We'll be back soon, Sasuke-kun. Try not to miss us too much!"

This time, it was him who rolled his eyes as he grunted.


	12. Way Too Close

**Chapter 11**

**Way Too Close**

* * *

Keeping his eyes closed and breathing even, Sasuke feigned sleep and he knew his idiot teammate would be doing the same, even though the broken cries of the grieving girl were impossible to ignore. Even he couldn't ignore it and on the first night - hell, even now, Sasuke felt more useless than ever.

Unsurprisingly, Sakura was by Aiko's side as soon as the crying began, gently hushing her before humming a familiar tune that had him relaxing somewhat. Aiko was in safe hands. With Sakura around, she was safe. She would protect her, whether it be emotionally, physically or mentally.

It was the second night since she'd woken up and met them all and already, they'd learned so much about Aiko. For starters, she was annoyingly loud and enjoyed getting on his last nerve, but she was also surprisingly sweet and considerate, often bringing him things she believed would boost his bad mood. That evening, she'd even brought him her meal, fearing he'd been forgotten about while everyone ate outside together. Even Itachi had been touched by that, saying as much when she left to join Sakura once more.

As he'd feared, however, Sakura was in way over her head with the child, growing way too attached way too fast, though part of Sasuke wasn't surprised in the least, since even he and Itachi were beginning to care for Aiko despite their minds' protests of being hurt down the line.

"M-Mama…"

Again, Sakura hushed her softly and he could hear movement that made him suspect she was embracing her.

"I'm scared, Mama."

Sasuke couldn't stop his eyes from opening, despite not seeing anything and he heard Naruto's breathing catch, just as he could hear Sakura falter in her comforting gestures.

"Mama…?"

"I-It's okay," she said a little unsurely, hesitantly resuming her earlier motions. "I'm here."

 _No_ , he thought with a sigh, eyes shutting with resignation. _Stop, Sakura. You're going to get hurt._

But even if she could somehow hear him, Sasuke knew his words would fall on deaf ears.

She was in way too deep.

* * *

"Mama?"

Reluctantly, Sasuke nodded. "And she didn't correct her."

Clearly troubled by the latest developments, he heard his brother sigh, soon followed by Shisui's slow approach as he sat at the end of what Sasuke presumed was Naruto's bed. It certainly wasn't his own - it was already occupied by both himself and Itachi, who was seated at the bottom.

"I don't understand what's going on," said Shisui, sounding vaguely frustrated. "Why is she doing this? To go so far for a child she doesn't even know is unheard of."

Why had he expected them to understand? Sasuke refrained from rubbing at his face irritably. Of course they didn't understand. They didn't know Sakura like he did. They didn't know how badly she longed for that ever present loneliness she was plagued with to be lifted. They didn't know how badly she wanted to start that stage of her life, but couldn't because of the damned villagers who assumed their bond was more than what it was, making her (in the villagers' words) untouchable due to being Uchiha territory.

"It's obvious," Itachi murmured after several moments of contemplative silence. It had Sasuke waiting anxiously for his next words. "Sakura feels responsible for what Aiko-chan has gone through."

Partly, he allowed. He knew his friend well enough to know she would take what happened to Aiko personally, since it was their wars that would have led Iwa-nin to the sanctuary her parents had created for the sake of her father. But it went way deeper than merely wanting to make amends. Sakura was…

Fighting to keep a neutral expression, Sasuke took an unnoticeable deep breath.

Sakura had an inexplicable need to fix broken people, although it had never been to the extent of taking in a traumatised child. At most, she'd entered a relationship with no future, breaking her own heart when she was forced to realise she couldn't fix that person.

"But why?" his cousin questioned. "She's had no part in this war - if anything, we should be held responsible, or myself alone. I'm the one who kept letting Iwa-nin go-"

"Don't do that to yourself, Shisui," argued Itachi calmly, although Sasuke could hear the concern in his voice. "There is no way of knowing that these men have ever crossed our paths."

"You-"

"If we go with your way of thinking, then I am just as to blame as you are. Is that what you believe? That I am guilty of Aiko-chan's parents' fate? Of the torture she experienced? After all, you were officially acting on my orders."

There was a deep sigh. "No."

"Then please, do not blame yourself."

"Nobody but the people who attacked them are to blame," Sasuke finally stated. The thought of any of his precious people believing they had a part in such disgusting events made him feel sick. "What did Neji find?"

Another sigh, this one coming from his brother. "There were no traces left behind."

"Indicating it was an elite who attacked," suggested Shisui. "Possibly hunter-nin."

But why would they act so brutally? Surely even hunter-nin wouldn't cause such suffering to an innocent child? "You think they defected?"

"Potentially," Itachi informed him thoughtfully. "Aiko-chan stated that her father was unable to walk any longer, effectively rendering him useless in our profession. What are the chances of an elite group of Iwa-nin happening across a family of retired shinobi living peacefully in the forest and attacking them? It would be pointless. They would have no valuables - they were living off the land, scavenging for food and barely scraping by, considering Aiko-chan's malnourished appearance."

"While there are certainly questionable characters out there, you would have to be depraved to execute such an attack, especially without a motive."

They weren't wrong, he supposed. But Sasuke had also met many of those questionable characters that Shisui mentioned and he knew they wouldn't have held back in such a monstrous attack, although, the child… It was naïve of him, because he knew that it happened every day, but he just couldn't picture anyone trying to murder a child. They were innocent. What the hell would provoke someone to such-

He breathed deeply again.

He was getting too agitated.

"Whatever the reason, it appears Aiko-chan is here to stay," said Itachi and Sasuke was floored to hear the vague reluctance in his tone. What the hell did that mean? "This means that Sakura will be returning to Konoha once she is fully healed. Sasuke, you will likely return, too."

And leave Naruto behind? When that idiot could start a fight in an empty room? Like hell. Someone had to back him up, didn't they?

"We're getting ahead of ourselves," Shisui told them and he could sense his smile. "There's every chance she could see how impulsive this decision is-"

"She won't," Sasuke argued with a shake of his head, sighing. "Once Sakura's decided on something, that's that. If she's willing to raise Aiko, she'll do it."

Which would mean no more Team Seven. To raise a child, Sakura would have to retire because who else was going to watch Aiko? What was the point in offering her somewhere to stay, promising her a happy future filled with education and care and compassion, only to disappear for weeks at a time on missions, leaving Aiko to fend for herself?

"I will speak with Sakura to decide on a plan of action regarding our eyes," Itachi then said. "Shisui, should it really come down to it, you may have to return to Konoha, too."

Damn it. All of this because of one child-

No, he couldn't think like that. Not when Sakura was working so hard to change the life of said child, to grant her a happy life.

"I refuse."

"You cannot."

"Are you ordering me to leave, Itachi?" demanded Shisui disbelievingly.

"If it means you are safe, then yes. As you are at this moment in time, you are at a great disadvantage. Your eyes-"

"I can manage-"

"You-"

"Stop arguing," Sasuke snapped.

Was it just him, or was everybody suddenly acting so unbelievably selfishly? Sure, Sakura was giving up a lot to care for a child that wasn't hers, but she was doing it for undeniably selfish reasons, because she was lonely and trying to fill that void with a project, of sorts. She was trying to fix the broken child. Then, Itachi and Shisui were acting selfish in their needs to stay out at the border, growing agitated at the mere mention of returning home. All the while that child was caught in the middle of it all. What the hell was wrong with them?

"Sasuke-"

"What's going on in here?"

The sound of Sakura's curious yet obviously cheerful voice had Sasuke sighing once more. He knew he would have to talk to her at some point, but getting her alone lately seemed impossible. Even at that moment, he could sense Aiko hanging around her, her footsteps loud in their cabin as she moved around.

"Nothing," he answered before the others could. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, I was just about to show Aiko-chan the difference between some of the herbs out here. It's an important life skill that I think everyone should know, regardless of whether they're shinobi or not."

He grunted in response. There wasn't much he could really say with the others around, although he knew that at some point, she would come to heal his eyes. He knew that, for that, she would leave Aiko in the care of another, for the girl would grow aggravatingly restless and would annoy him greatly. To spare both himself and Aiko such stress, Sakura would avoid it altogether.

When Sakura spoke next, she was much closer and it was obvious she was frowning. "Is something wrong, Sasuke-kun?"

Why did she have to know him so well? "No."

Were the others still there? He could only hear Aiko-

Ah. Yeah. Itachi was still seated at the bottom of his bed, it seemed. He was grateful for that.

"Sakura-sama, can we go now?" whined Aiko. Any pain she'd been experiencing had been numbed that morning by Sakura.

"Sakura."

He tensed when Itachi spoke up, inwardly scolding himself for showing his unease.

"What's up?" she asked unsurely. God, Sasuke wanted to know what expressions they were all wearing. It would make guessing at how they were feeling so much easier.

"I would like for you to spare some time after to continue healing Shisui, please."

It seemed she'd tensed, too. And he knew she would be wearing that horrified expression she tended to don whenever she was faced with a hard situation. He knew that, while she felt the need to care for Aiko, she would not abandon her obligations. "Oh Gods, I'm so sorry for forgetting. Shisui-san, I'll find you after dinner tonight, okay? And Itachi, I'll come to you afterwards and then Sasuke-kun-"

"You will burn yourself out at this rate," sighed Shisui.

She laughed at that and there was the sound of light tapping. Was she patting his shoulder, perhaps? It _did_ sound like their voices were closer than before. "Don't be silly, Shisui-san. I have more than enough chakra right now, so don't go running off. If I have to look for you…"

The threat didn't need to be finished, for it held no effect either way. If anything, it seemed to amuse his apparently masochistic cousin, who continued to poke the grizzly that was Sakura. "You would never be able to find me, should I hide from you."

"Oh?"

" _Sakura-sama,"_ groaned Aiko impatiently. "You promised we could go for a walk!"

God, he hated children.

* * *

"Washed your face?" Cheerfully, Aiko hummed in affirmation. "Brushed your teeth?"

"Yep!"

"Naruto, Sasuke-kun, are you sure you don't mind watching over Aiko-chan for a few hours?"

How the hell Sakura had managed to find even a semblance of a routine while out on the border with a child, Sasuke would never know. For the past three to four days, she'd made sure to have each meal served to Aiko at the exact same time, that she awoke by a certain hour and went to bed a few hours after her final meal. Then, like clockwork, she would tell her a story until the girl fell asleep. The only thing breaking said routine now was her mission of healing Shisui and Itachi's eyes, which had taken over story time. Instead, it was Naruto who would be reading Aiko a bedtime story.

Sasuke already had a headache.

"Sure, sure," said Naruto, no doubt with a grin to try and ease Aiko's anxiety of being left alone with men. "We'll leave the cabin door open as well."

That seemed to ease her worries slightly, it seemed. "Thanks, Naruto-sama," Aiko responded and he could hear her smile.

"Well, then," Sakura began, pausing to grab her medical pouch from the chest of drawers. "Don't stay up too late, Aiko-chan. We have a healing session after breakfast tomorrow morning, meaning no sleeping in, got it?"

"Aw, but I thought this was a sleepover?"

She laughed freely and while it should have made him feel happy to hear her happiness, Sasuke only felt dread that continued to build, slowly choking the life out of him. He knew not to ignore his gut instinct and while he knew from conversations that Aiko was not the enemy, he knew that in some way or another, she was going to break Sakura way worse than she'd been broken before. He could feel it deep in his heart and it… While he wasn't one to admit such things, it genuinely terrified him. He was scared for Sakura.

"With Naruto?" she demanded, still laughing. " _Please_. Just wait until we're back in the village. Me and my friend will show you what a real sleepover is like!"

"Your friend?"

She hummed happily, saying, "Yeah, her name's Ino, but I call her Ino-Pig. Oh! But don't let her hear you calling her that, okay? She'll get really upset."

Like Ino would agree with Sakura's impulsive decision, especially considering it meant less time spent on her, Sasuke thought irritably.

Gods, he hoped she sided with him and knocked some sense into Sakura.

"And then she'll get all mad," agreed Naruto dramatically. "And pull this weird angry face that is _terrifying_ because she looks like some kind of banshee and-"

"Oi, bonehead," snapped Sakura and from not only the loud _thud_ but also Naruto's sudden whimper, Sasuke knew she'd hit him. That suspicion was only confirmed by Aiko's tinkering laughter. "She might be my rival, but Ino's still my friend and I'll pummel you if you talk badly about her."

"S-Sorry, Sakura-chan."

Sighing, he heard her turn on her heel, approaching Aiko's bed. "I'll see you in the morning, Aiko-chan, okay? Try and get some rest."

"Goodnight, Ma-"

Sasuke inwardly cringed.

Again, Sakura sighed, followed by the sound of her sitting down. "It's okay, Aiko-chan."

But it seemed as though she'd upset herself by getting the two mixed up (not that it was all that surprising), because Aiko suddenly released a loud, painfilled wail. "I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Sakura tried to assure her. "You're grieving."

"I miss her so much," she cried. "I miss Papa so much!"

"I know," she whispered, voice thick. There was no doubt in Sasuke's mind that Sakura was crying herself. She'd always been overly emotional. "I know you do, Aiko-chan. I'm here for you whenever you want to talk about it, okay?"

"So am I," Naruto said without his usual gusto. Whereas he would usually invade personal space, Sasuke sensed him lingering closer to his own bed than Aiko's. "You're dear to Sakura-chan, meaning you're dear to me, too."

For the first time ever, Sasuke was glad he couldn't see. Just hearing the child's cries unsettled him - he didn't want to see her heartbreak like the others could. Although they were overly emotional at the best of times, he knew that it took a lot to move Naruto in terms of sadness. Yes, he felt empathy (how could he not, given the life he'd lived so far?), but unless it really hit home, then he would never cry for another person. Instead, he got angry for them or something similar to that. At that moment in time, however, he sounded close to tears, his voice uneven and breathing growing _too_ composed.

"N-Naruto-sama?"

"Yeah?"

There was the sound of movement and a lot of sniffling, bugging the hell out of Sasuke until she blew her nose noisily. He hoped Sakura would get rid of the tissue straight away, rather than leaving it lying around.

"Can you tell me a story now, please?"

Predictably of him, he started a story about a young boy who was destined to become the leader of his village, the sound of Sakura kissing what he presumed to be the top of Aiko's head and tucking her in before leaving echoing in Sasuke's mind uncomfortably.


	13. Love Like This

**Chapter 12**

**Love Like This**

* * *

Was she simply naive? Was she allowing her emotions to rule her too much?

Grin fading once Aiko turned back to the berries she was identifying, she allowed her gaze to soften.

Even if she was, what did it really matter? Her job was still being performed with the highest priority, although part of her _did_ cringe whenever she saw Aiko, realising she was putting something above her. Yes, she was a kunoichi, therefore supposed to be capable of shutting it all off, but just because she was a kunoichi that didn't mean she wasn't human - someone who was capable of loving so powerfully that it threatened to swallow her whole.

That child had suffered in the worst ways possible and it never failed to keep her up at night, watching over her, the thoughts of what could have been going through the poor girl's mind breaking her heart every time.

When Sakura had been eleven years old, even while training at the academy, she'd been so sheltered. She'd never seen anybody die of natural causes, let alone murdered. Trying to put herself in Aiko's mind, to picture what it must have been like to witness not only the murder of her paralysed father, but also the rape and murder of her mother, was impossible. Gods, what had gone through her head seeing such things? Had she thought they would do the same to her? It must have been terrifying. After all, if they were capable of striking down shinobi (even if one was paralysed from the waist down, he was still a shinobi, therefore not entirely defenceless), what could they have done to her?

It would undoubtedly disturb her for her whole life - it was why Sakura had stepped up to take her in. In their village, there was no system in place for orphans in need of therapy for the horrors they'd potentially faced. Hell, there was no mental health clinics designed solely for children, now that Sakura truly thought about it. Many orphans were forgotten about after they were provided with somewhere to stay and due to her being trained before their passing, Aiko would be more or less forced to fend for herself. It happened more often than any of them wanted to admit, although Tsunade _had_ been doing what was in her power to change things. For starters, there were several homes in the making for orphans, but civilian orphans were given priority.

With her, Aiko stood a chance of having a normal childhood despite all that had happened. She would go to school like a normal child, achieve great things with her education and would make her own way in the world once she was old enough to. Doors that were locked to orphans would be opened, all because Sakura put her name to her. It shouldn't have to be such a way, but sadly that was the case and they had to go along with it until the time came to make changes. For the time being, Iwa was taking precedence over everything else.

Would raising a child be difficult? Would she struggle? Oh, without a doubt. Sakura knew she would have her work cut out for her - she was only nineteen and now suddenly raising an eleven year old child. She was going to have to move out of her parents' place, face so much criticism from family and friends (making the disdain she'd faced so far at the base camp feel like nothing in comparison, because like hell she would ever be affected by people who didn't even know her, judging her), give up so much freedom for the sake of being a good role model.

But…

But she didn't mind.

It was the least she could offer Aiko. Somewhere safe to call home, to feel like she belonged and was loved. Due to their wars, that had been taken from her, leaving her suspended in hell as she agonised over the loss of her parents, trapped in the memories of the torture they'd gone through before being murdered.

For Aiko's sake, to protect her and give her another chance at life, she would give up whatever she had to.

* * *

She'd done it again.

She'd called her 'Mama'.

Sakura had mixed feelings about the name. While she'd always longed to have a child of her own, she worried endlessly for Aiko's mental state, knowing that it would devastate her each and every time she said it. It would feel like she was trampling on her mother's memory, like she was trying to replace the woman. It didn't matter how much Sakura tried to explain that it was completely normal. The child was too upset.

Latching oneself to the person who'd shown them mercy, seeing similarities between them and the person they'd lost, wasn't uncommon. In fact, Sakura had often been called mama in the hospital by children who were slowly coming out of anaesthesia, or even grown adults who were delirious with pain. At that moment in time, she knew Aiko would be looking to her as a mother figure - someone who was taking good care of her and protecting her, showing her affection and kindness. She was teaching her things and giving her time and energy into helping and healing Aiko. They had structure and a routine already and she cared for her every need. How was she supposed to feel shocked when she was mistakenly called mama when she _knew_ she was taking on a motherly role?

Humming gently, she ran her fingers through Aiko's hair, soothing her.

Her night terrors were awful, to the extent that she'd lost control of her bladder twice now, much to the girl's mortification. However, Sakura commended her boys for their show of compassion, for they pretended like her screaming _hadn't_ woken them, pretending to be sleeping even when their cabin stunk so strongly of urine. Even Itachi pretended to be oblivious when he appeared in the early hours of the morning to start his daily routine with Sasuke, helping him to the showers.

Itachi.

Sighing once Aiko was out once more, Sakura eased herself back. They were currently sharing a bed due to her own mattress drying out behind their cabin, but the other two didn't mention anything, accepting her blatant lie of telling Aiko a bedtime story to spare the girl's feelings and embarrassment.

Due to constantly being by Aiko's side, she didn't see much of him and found she felt slightly disappointed by it. Even their healing sessions were much quieter, although she found she was grateful that he didn't lecture her on her choice of taking Aiko in. If anything, he accepted it and allowed her to make her own choices, even if that meant the sad end to whatever had been growing between them. If that was how things were meant to be, then she would accept it. Itachi was still young and probably didn't want the burden of raising a child that wasn't his, so even though Sakura had been enjoying his companionship and enjoyed the thrill of their flirty banter, she was willing to move on if she had to.

"She's really happy with you."

Sakura smiled at Naruto's words. "You think?"

"Hell yeah," he exclaimed, lowering his voice when Aiko stirred. When she remained sleeping, he asked quietly, "Do you think she'll ever be able to move on from it?"

No. It was sad to admit such things, but no. Aiko would never be able to forget about what happened to her parents or move on from it. It was always going to be there in the back of her mind, tormenting her, forcing her to relive that horrific day. However, Sakura would be there. Throughout it all, she would be there for the girl.

"No, but that's okay," Sakura said after a few moments of silence, brushing the hair from Aiko's eyes. "Despite what people think, it's okay not to be okay."

No matter how dark it got for her, she would remain by her side, supporting her, loving her.

She would give Aiko the life she deserved.

"You really care about her, don't you?" he mumbled.

"Yeah." How could she not?

"Then…" He grinned, even though Sakura could sense his mixed emotions. "I guess that means we need to throw some kind of party for her when we're back in the village, to welcome Aiko-chan into our family, right?"

Tears filled her eyes, but she smiled brightly, meeting Naruto's tender gaze with equal love.

Her precious people understood (or would eventually understand) why she was going so far for a child that was not her own. They knew how big her heart was. With them by her side, supporting her as she raised Aiko, she could face any and all criticism.

Nothing else mattered.


	14. Kogane no Hikari

**Chapter 13**

**Kogane No Hikari**

* * *

It had been one week since Aiko was found, since Sakura had taken her in and healed her.

While many at the base camp welcomed her warmly, treating her like a younger sibling, Sakura was not unaware of the fact others looked at her with disgust or annoyance, like they were questioning if she was really capable of being a shinobi. After all, shinobi were not supposed to act sentimental or wear their hearts on their sleeves - and that was exactly how she was acting. By taking Aiko in, by begging Itachi to let her stay and allow her to heal the girl, Sakura was acting emotionally and she knew they had every right to question her professionalism, no matter how annoying it was. Shinobi who were unable to control their emotions were a liability, since it could lead to a fatal mistake on a mission that cost the whole team their lives.

It wasn't like she didn't know how to shove aside her emotions. She'd been doing it for the past few days. But how the hell was she supposed to leave behind a child, like they were expecting of her? Rock Lee said that it was because she was a medic, because she had a big heart that wanted to help and heal everyone it could. He told her that was what he admired about her the most: how kindhearted she was, always putting herself last to ensure someone else was okay. And then he began yelling about the power of her youth, or something along those lines. Regardless of how loud or pumped up he got, Sakura had been incredibly grateful for his kind words because Lee also said that he was so very proud of her. Well, he was proud of his "beautiful cherry blossom". It was simply best to just go along with him sometimes.

Just that morning, they'd finally received a reply from their Hokage and going against what everyone thought she would say (to send Aiko to the village and stay there to complete her duties alone), Tsunade had sent supplies for Aiko as well as a personal letter for Sakura.

_I hope you know what you're doing._

Others thought she was being scolded, since that was all that had been on it, but they couldn't have been further from the truth. Actually, her shishou was looking out for her, knowing that if something happened to Aiko, especially now that they'd bonded, it would crush her. Tsunade was asking if she was really sure she wanted to risk it, given their profession. Some bonds were double edged swords. There was no-one who knew that better than Tsunade.

Similarly to a few days ago, she hadn't seen much of Itachi outside of healing sessions and his helping Sasuke.

While Sakura took care of Sasuke (helping him to the bathroom, healing him, bringing him his food, etc), Naruto would look after Aiko. Did that worry her at all? Not in the slightest, because she knew Aiko was in safe hands with him and she adored the blond and his cheerful personality. Part of Sakura knew that that was exactly what she needed in that moment in time - someone who could make her laugh and smile and feel like she hadn't a care in the world.

It was where Aiko was in that moment in time, with Naruto, while Sakura healed Sasuke's eyes. Usually, it was best for the girl to leave the room because in the past few days, she'd truly been coming out of her shell and showing she was capable of being just as energetic as Naruto and Lee. While Sakura was ecstatic that she was feeling so comfortable, she had to put her task of being Sasuke's medic first and she couldn't allow her concentration to slip - most definitely not when she was healing his already delicate eyes, as to do so would damage them further. He trusted her to make them better, not worse and she would never betray that trust.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

However, there was a reason why Sakura had ensured there was always at least one other person present when she was with Sasuke as of late. She knew that he was waiting for the perfect moment to question her judgement, though he'd been repeatedly interrupted by someone or even the effects of Aiko's trauma. It had him wondering many times if staying with Sakura was the best thing to do and whether he should leave it, as she would definitely be able to help her.

Sighing and closing her eyes, she concentrated on healing his. "Yes. You've been trying to ask me that all week and I keep dropping hints that everything's fine."

"That's because you're not thinking this through clearly enough. You're allowing your emotions to cloud your judgement," he grunted, eyebrows knitting together for a moment before he awkwardly added, "We're worried that this is only going to hurt you in the end."

That was why she continued to stick around Sasuke, even though his inevitable questions annoyed and upset her. He was asking them because he genuinely cared about her. Team Seven had always been close. If one of them was hurting, they were all hurting. "I'm not going to get hurt."

"And you're just going to raise her like she's your own?" When he felt Sakura shrug in response, he scowled. "What if you want your own family one day? A husband? Children of your own? Not a lot of men will raise a kid that's not theirs."

There was a pause and slowly, she opened her eyes, frowning down at her lap. "…I'm fine with that." Sasuke sighed. "Just… Trust me on this, okay? If I ever meet a guy, I'll be one hundred percent sure about him before I have him meet Aiko-chan. The last thing she needs after everything that's happened to her, is being messed around by guys or having a bad example to follow."

"What?"

"I mean that I can't whore around."

Noticing that he was getting angry with her, for his chakra was suddenly spiking, Sakura carefully extracted hers from his eyes and the moment it was gone, his eyes snapped open, glaring viciously at her.

"Who the hell said you're a whore?" Sasuke demanded, his voice a low growl. "You're far from a bad example."

"Nobody has called me a whore, I'm just saying that I can't act like one if I one day want to find the right person and settle down - someone who's also willing to raise someone else's child. Aiko-chan needs me to be responsible, needs me to act like a mother should."

"And what about Team Seven?"

Her frown returned, deepening. What about Team Seven? "You're all grown men, Sasuke-kun," she replied slowly, carefully. And in response Sasuke's anger grew. "I'll still be a part of Team Seven, I just won't be going on as many missions as I used to." Then, something occurred to her, making her eyes widen. "Sasuke-kun, you're–"

But he cut her off, his anger too much. "Don't try changing the subject," he snapped at her, catching her wrist when her hand raised to his face, even though she had only been about to cup his cheek. "You're abandoning our team for a kid you don't even know."

"You're _looking_ at me!"

"Of course I'm looking at you, we're–" he cut himself off, his eyes widening. "I'm looking at you."

Sakura smiled brightly, cupping his cheeks in her hands as she watched his pupils dilate, as she watched him _actually focusing on her eyes_. It wasn't long until she was laughing. "You can see!"

Sasuke seemed to be in shock but it wasn't long until he returned her smile with his own stunned one. "Thank you, Sakura."

" _Again._ "

He rolled his eyes. " _Again_."

"Want me to go and find your brother, give him the good news?" Sasuke nodded, still amazed by the fact that he could actually see again. "Be back in a few. Try not to look directly into the light, since we don't know how much is healed yet."

And once he nodded, Sakura was darting out of the cabin, running straight over to Itachi's. She forgot all about her manners as she burst into the cabin, grinning brightly.

"Itachi, guess what-"

That grin faltered and faded away as she saw she had interrupted him while he was getting changed.

"Sakura?"

"Um…"

Shit. How could she have forgotten about his morning of interrogation? She'd told both Uchiha men to lay off using their mangekyō for a while - or at least for the duration of the healing sessions - but he also had a captive to interrogate. That meant he had to do it physically, which was a messy job, Sakura noted when she caught sight of the pile of bloody clothes in the corner of his cabin.

It was with a sigh that he pulled his shirt over his head. "Is something wrong, Sakura?"

She quickly shook her head, forcing the image of his toned body out of her head, doing her utmost to ignore her lewd inner-persona who was currently fan-girling obsessively and suggesting deeply inappropriate ideas. "There's something you should see," Sakura told him, her bright smile returning and stunning him for a moment. "It's about Sasuke-kun."

Once he had finished getting dressed (with Sakura looking away, much to Inner-Sakura's horror) they both left his cabin and headed back to Team Seven's. And she felt so very proud of herself and Sasuke when they returned, when Itachi appeared to be stunned as Sasuke glanced up at him and smirked.

"His eyes are completely healed?" Itachi asked Sakura.

Biting her lip, she moved back over to Sasuke and sat on the edge of his bed, watching his eyes for a moment until she said, "He should avoid activating his sharingan for a while." She shot the younger Uchiha a deadly look. "I'm being serious here, Sasuke-kun. Don't activate your sharingan until I've done more research, until we know for sure that I can prevent this from happening again."

He seemed annoyed by the demand, though nodded in agreement anyway.

"How much can you see, Sasuke?"

Looking up at his brother, Sasuke tilted his head to the side, squinting for a moment. "The edges of my sight are still blurry and I can't see long distance." Noticing her frown, he rolled his eyes. "I can see, Sakura. That's all that matters right now. Don't you remember? You said it could take months to heal my eyes, but they're healing quicker than the last time."

She smirked up at him. "That's because I'm a genius."

"More like persistent. And annoying."

Her smirk slipped away for an angry scowl, but quickly changed into a pout, knowing exactly how to bend him to her will.

His eyes narrowed. "Don't even try it."

"But, Sasuke-kun, all I've ever done is try to–"

"No."

Itachi looked between them questioningly. "What is it?"

"She's trying to guilt trip me," the younger Uchiha grunted, sending one last glare over at Sakura before glancing in the direction of Itachi's voice. "It never works, though."

"It does," she argued, grinning up at him. "Last time he bought me lunch as well as a new pouch for my weapons. Oh! And there was that time you bought me a kimono, using the excuse that I didn't know how to dress formally."

That seemed to surprise him greatly.

"It was your birthday."

"And you forgot!"

"I didn't forget."

There was intrigue in Itachi's eyes when she stood to her full height and glared down at Sasuke, hands coming to her hips but instead of backing down, he narrowed his eyes a fraction.

* * *

Was it strange for Itachi to be intrigued by their banter? He had never seen friends acting in such a way before. No, actually, he had, but he had never stuck around long enough to see what happened in the end. Now, seeing his brother acting so carefree, biting back his smirk, made him feel happy. While growing up, that was all Itachi had wanted. For Sasuke to be happy and grow up to be his own person.

The hands on her hips clenched into fists and Sakura's stance changed, becoming more defensive by the moment, leading Itachi to look between them both. It would end in one of two ways, he assumed. The first being they laughed it off. The second being that one of them went too far, said something completely out of line and they ended up falling out. He wondered who would go in which direction. Due to him being who he was, Itachi had never really bantered with anyone before. Yes, he and Shisui joked around and could have a laugh, but in all honesty they were much too serious.

"Admit that you forgot."

"I didn't forget," Sasuke repeated with a smirk, one that had Sakura growling with annoyance.

Was Sasuke purposely trying to anger her? Anybody else would have called him insane or a fool. So many people tried to avoid angering Haruno Sakura, who was very much like a miniature Tsunade – easily angered and preferred to speak with her fists. However, considering how Sakura seemed to be holding herself back, Itachi was willing to bet that she would never dare to hit Sasuke. Or was that because he was in the room? No. He doubted that. After all, if his younger brother was asking for it, then he would allow Sakura to punch him. Perhaps not with too much chakra, for he didn't want his brother to die, but just enough to silence him.

Itachi thought back to all the times he had either heard of her anger or witnessed it for himself. There weren't many flashbacks, but there were enough to make him believe that Sasuke had a death wish. Had it been Uzumaki Naruto in his place, the blond would have been anxiously trying to fix the damage he had caused before being sent flying by a monstrously powerful punch from those deceptively small fists. Had Itachi and Sakura met under different circumstances, as enemies, he would have probably underestimated her and regretted it.

During her training with Tsunade, when she had sparred against Sasuke, he would return home covered in bruises and limping. The first time it had happened, there was no denying that they had all been in a state of shock, wondering just what on earth happened to him. He had merely grunted something along the lines of, " _don't ever let her get her hands on you_ " before promptly collapsing onto the kitchen table.

Sakura probably didn't know it, but she had earned his family's respect that day. Previously, they all knew that her teammates risked their lives saving her, they all knew about how she was the weakest on the team. Then all of a sudden, Sasuke was returning home and collapsing from a sparring session with Sakura. That meant she had been gaining in speed as well as strength simultaneously - a difficult feat, for it was usually best to focus on one rather than both.

That only made keeping Sasuke from following Orochimaru that much harder, though. Yes he was glad that Sakura was growing stronger – proud of her, too – but it still got to him that the weakest member of Team Seven was actually catching up to him, whereas he made barely any progress in his training at all. So Itachi had gone to Shisui, who had then contacted a certain former student of Orochimaru's. They had had to persuade her to teach him, but Mitarashi Anko had eventually agreed, not wanting somebody else's life to be ruined by the snake. About half a year later, when he had finally mastered his mangekyō, Itachi extracted the cursed seal from his brother and sealed it away.

"If you didn't forget, then why did you look surprised when Kakashi-sensei wished me happy birthday and _you didn't?"_

"Because I didn't think he would actually turn up."

Oh, that was low, Itachi thought, glancing over at Sakura. They all knew that Hatake Kakashi had not paid her enough attention while being her sensei, choosing to instead work with Sasuke or Naruto. And apparently, it was a sensitive subject for she stiffened, her features twisting for a moment and it seemed with that single look, that pained look, Sasuke realised he had gone too far.

"Sakura–"

"It's fine – you're right. It _was_ surprising that he even remembered." She smiled, heading over to the door. "I should probably go and find Aiko-chan before Naruto has her addicted to ramen."

Sasuke sighed as the door shut, glaring after her for a moment before turning to face Itachi. "Would you…" He paused, averting his eyes and scowling. "Will you go after her?"

Standing up straight from his position of leaning against the wall, Itachi raised an eyebrow. Why him? Sasuke was the one in trouble. "It may be best to leave her for a while, Sasuke. What you said was unnecessarily harsh."

"I know my teammate, Nii-san," he muttered. "She might run off somewhere to be by herself, but being alone is the last thing she wants."

"Very well." He sighed, making his way over to the door. "However, since you have your sight back, can't you follow her yourself?"

"No."

She'd kill him, was what his eyes told him.

"Itachi," Sasuke spoke up just as his brother opened the door, "if she wants to spar, go easy on her. She's not at your level."

It was nice to know Sasuke cared so much for his teammates, but Itachi couldn't help but frown at his words. "It is not always the strongest who wins in a fight, Sasuke. Remember that."

* * *

She was seated in a field when he found her.

Leaning back on her hands, she stared out at the flowers disturbed by the breeze with a troubled expression. He was surprised she'd managed to find such a relaxing place being where they were, but Itachi had a feeling it was more to do with her presence than anything. It was serene and calming, bringing said emotions forth for himself, too.

She didn't appear to sense his chakra as he approached her, but that wasn't too surprising. Like he had told Sasuke not too long ago (on the night he had lost his sight): only a Hyuuga could find him. It was to make the camp appear to be weakened.

Just as he was about to sit down beside her, Itachi was suddenly struck by a feeling similar to déjà vu as Sakura glanced up at him from beneath her lashes.

* * *

_The child would not stop sniffling. Oh, she had stopped crying long enough to force out her first name, but now her nose continued to run and because of that, she was sniffing loudly every couple of seconds. Itachi was not one to easily lose his patience, or to grow annoyed with somebody, but this girl…_

_It was just that noise._

" _You are going to give yourself a headache, Sakura-chan."_

_Another sniff. "I-I'm sorry."_

_It took a lot to hold back the slight twitching of his eyes. His annoyance was growing. Why would she not allow him to return her to the festival or to her parents? "You have nothing to be sorry about, since it is you who will have to suffer through the headache."_

" _I don't have any tissues." Another sniff. "And Mama will shout if I use my sleeve."_

_Okay, perhaps he could let the sniffing slide if it meant she would not use her own clothing to blow her nose on. "What are your parents' names?"_

" _Mama and Papa."_

_Right. Sakura looked no older than five, possibly six – around the same age as his brother, in fact. Of course her parents would be 'Mama' and 'Papa' to her. It would be odd if she called them by their first names. Then again, Itachi had always known his parents' names. Sasuke did, too. That only meant one thing. "You are a civilian." She nodded. It would explain her small chakra reserves and how she definitely wasn't being brought up to be a shinobi. "What is your surname?"_

_It seemed she was trying to control her sniffling by doing it as discreetly as possible. Itachi had to hold back a smile. The child truly was a civilian, because she'd otherwise know that certain shinobi had impeccable hearing – himself included. No matter how quietly she was sniffling, he would hear it. He'd give her credit, though. Pretending to sniff flowers when she was really doing something else was quite a smart thing to do._

" _Haruno."_

 _He knew exactly who she was. As an ANBU operative, it was his duty to know everybody within the walls of the village. Even civilians and retired shinobi. Haruno Sakura was the only child of Haruno Kizashi and Mebuki_ _– the former being a retired shinobi who now worked as a civilian with his civilian wife_ _. Itachi wasn't sure as to why it hadn't clicked sooner. She was the only one in the village with pink hair (other than her father, though his had dulled and didn't have the same shine as hers did, wasn't the same pastel shade). Hell, she was the only female in the village named Sakura._

_Her name suited her well. Eyes as stunning as the springtime leaves and grass, yet somehow even lighter and more mesmerising (and seeming much brighter due to her previous tears). Hair more or less the exact same shade as a cherry blossom, standing out and demanding everybody to pause and take in its beauty. Itachi watched her for a moment, watched how she held herself as she leaned over the flowers and carefully selected which ones to pick. One day, Haruno Sakura was going to be a beautiful woman, who would, like her namesake, demand every man's attention._

" _Itachi-san," a small voice spoke up, bringing him out of his thoughts and Itachi was somewhat surprised to find Sakura standing in front of him. Due to him being sat down, they were just about eye level. If she stood on her tiptoes, she would be taller than him. "These are for you!"_

" _Thank you, Sakura-chan," he murmured, accepting the flowers. Why had she picked them for him?_

_And then he felt lips pressing to his forehead and his eyes widened._

" _Thank you for looking after me. I don't like the loud bangs."_

_The girl had guts, he would give her that. Nobody had ever dared to invade his personal space before. Not even his parents. Even Sasuke knew better than to do such a thing unless he was feeling especially clingy. When Sakura pulled back, she gave him a shy smile to go with the blush on her cheeks, one he couldn't help but return with a small one of his own._

_Innocent. She was so pure and innocent._

_Itachi gave her more of a reassuring, genuine smile, patting the space beside him. "The fireworks are not so bad if you have someone to watch them with and they won't be as loud here, either. You can watch them with me, if you wish."_

_And then she gave him one of the brightest smiles he had ever seen before._

* * *

She believed she had a right to be reasonably wary when he smiled suddenly, without her having said or done anything to provoke it. Did that mean she was in trouble? Was he secretly a sadist?

"Not that it's not a nice smile, but why exactly are you smiling?"

"I was just remembering the last time I met you in a field," Itachi told her, glancing at her surprised expression. "You were only a child. I believe we discussed it in our letters?"

Recognition flitted over her features. Of course, he would remember it entirely, whereas her memory of that night was blurred. "We did! I could remember that somebody took care of me that night, but I couldn't remember who it was." She smiled sheepishly, awkwardly. "Sorry."

"You were just a child," he stated simply.

There was a pause as she changed from leaning on her hands to leaning on her elbows, relaxing in the sun. It worked well for lessening her bad mood. "Sasuke-kun sent you after me, didn't he?" He nodded and she rolled her eyes in response. Typical Sasuke. "You know he did that to avoid being beaten up, right?"

Itachi raised a challenging eyebrow, tilting his head to the side as he regarded her. "Do you really believe it will be so easy to beat me?"

"A little arrogant, aren't you? What do you say, then? Want to spar?"

He gave her a smirk. "Perhaps some other time."

Biting her lip, she bit back her smirk. "I never would've thought the great Uchiha Itachi would be scared of sparring with _me_." Once more, he was raising an eyebrow at her, like he was questioning if she was seriously saying he was scared. "I always thought that if we sparred, you'd have me beaten to the ground before I even realised it, or at least pinned. But maybe I was wrong?" Sakura shrugged, inwardly grinning when she noticed a flash in his eyes. It seemed even Uchiha Itachi enjoyed challenges and disliked having his strength and power questioned. "Maybe the things the villagers say about you aren't true and really, you rely completely on your eyes?"

And then her world was shifting, spinning and becoming a sickening blur. Sakura couldn't tell which way was up and which way was down. All she knew was that not even two seconds later, her front was being slammed into a tree and a hard body was pressing against her back, lips moving to her ear until teeth were grazing her earlobe. She shivered, biting her lip once more.

"You were saying, _Sakura?"_

Inner-Sakura had fainted. She was passed out. Bleeding heavily from the nose. Done for. Oh Gods, Sakura hoped the same didn't happen to her. The feeling of him pushing up against her was awakening the kinkier side of her, a side only one man had ever seen before after awakening it himself. "Just because you're fast–" His body was flush against hers now, making her gasp and effectively silencing her. Sakura's hands dug into the tree trunk, leaving indentations in the bark.

"I think speed definitely counts," he murmured lowly.

Itachi's hold on her wrists changed for a split second as he lifted them higher up the tree, forcing her back to arch, turning her breathing shaky and uneven. She needed to turn the tables somehow, but he was strong as well as fast – she couldn't even move her arms. His weren't even fully straightened, didn't even seem like they were putting much effort into pinning her. And if Sakura used chakra, she could accidentally hurt him. What could she–

A smirk pulled at her lips, one that had Itachi's eyes narrowing.

Only for his eyes to widen a second later when she moved her hips backwards, pushing her ass against him in a slow grind. His hands tightened their hold on her wrists and Itachi quickly put a stop to her movement by using his hips to pin hers. If he wouldn't let go, then she certainly wasn't against playing dirty. Their bodies were tools for their village, whether it was for battle or seduction.

Pulling her hands closer together, Itachi held both wrists with one hand, the other fisting in her hair, turning her head to the side to face his. "You are playing a dangerous game." His lips ghosted over hers. " _Sakura_."

It seemed to take him by surprise when she whimpered softly, eyes slipping shut once more, but not before sharing her building lust with him. Unfortunately for her, she really was aroused, although she definitely was exaggerating it to him - an exaggeration that was shockingly bought.

Just as she sensed he was about to say something, Sakura leaned forward and her lips parted, but then Itachi was off her in a second, leaving her to feel dazed and confused. And not even a second after being released, she turned to face him and leaned back against the tree, confusion so very obvious on her face.

"What–"

" _Sakura-sama_!"

Oh.

He gave her a smirk. "We will _spar_ some other time."

And with that, he transported back to the base camp.

She took a deep breath, willing her heart to stop beating so fast, willing her breathing to slow as she released a long exhale. Just what the hell had that been? Maybe she should tease Itachi more often? Sakura wouldn't even deny that she liked the results. Cracking that perfect mask of his, evoking such reactions from him, was kind of intoxicating.

"Sakura-chan, what're you doing out here by yourself?" Naruto asked with a frown, looking in the direction of the camp. "I thought you were healing Sasuke?"

Waving her hand dismissively, Sakura shrugged. "I needed to take a break and get some fresh air. Besides, I've done all I can for now on his eyes right now."

"And?"

"And he can see again." Naruto's face brightened almost dramatically, making her give him a warning look since she knew he would want to spar with Sasuke. "Not completely, of course. He can't see long distance and the edges of his sight are completely blurred. There's still more work to be done, but I'm low on chakra right now." If she told him about the comment Sasuke had made, whether it was banter or not, Naruto would be in the cabin and punching him in a second. "Aiko-chan, do want to pick some flowers?"

Once Aiko nodded in agreement, Sakura took her over to the flowers and taught her everything Ino had taught her about flower arrangements.

* * *

"Wow, so you can really see again?" Aiko gasped in surprise, looking up at Sasuke with wide eyes. He grunted. "What colour is my hair?"

He sighed. "Blonde."

She pouted, glaring up at him from beneath her lashes. "What about my eyes? Sakura-sama could have told you my hair colour."

Her precious _Sakura-sama_ , Sasuke thought bitterly, had better hurry the hell up and return to them. His patience was wearing ridiculously thin and while he knew he owed her for what he had muttered earlier, it hardly seemed fair. Yes, over the past week or so, Sasuke had learned to tolerate Aiko and the girl could actually be rather pleasant to be around (when she was falling asleep) when she wasn't asking question after question, more or less interrogating him, but that wasn't the point.

"Which means she could have told me your eye colour, too."

"Sasuke-sama," Aiko whined, fisting the bed sheets beneath her.

He sighed. Why did the brat have to sit on _his_ bed? Couldn't she go and sit on her own bed? Away from him? Unfortunately for him, Aiko seemed to be like the 'old Sakura', the one who didn't care about invading peoples' personal space. Thankfully, Aiko didn't have a ridiculous, yet terrifying, crush on him. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he watched her out of the corner of his eye. At least he hoped she didn't. That would be wrong on so many levels. Growing up, he could somewhat handle Sakura's obsessive crush as they were more or less the same age. Aiko was eight, almost nine years younger than him.

Wait.

Was that why she cared for Aiko so much? Because of how similar they were?

Suddenly the sound of rushed footsteps stole their attention as well as the sound of yelling, of orders being given. There was too much chaos to not be anything malicious and so Sasuke narrowed his eyes and hopped out of bed, going over to the open door and glaring outside. It stung his eyes for a moment, making him squint, but that feeling passed after not too long.

"Sasuke-sama, Sakura-sama said not to look at the light!" she scolded like she was suddenly twice her age, fisting her hands on her hips in a similar way Sakura was wont to do.

Ignoring Aiko, Sasuke continued to glance around until he somewhat recognised someone. "Sai."

Sai paused in his movements and moved over to the cabin Team Seven was staying in. "What is it?"

"What's going on?"

"Iwa-nin have been spotted and are heading straight for us. Itachi-taichou believes they are after our captive."

The young girl in the cabin gasped and fell back, having stood up when Sasuke did, landing roughly on her behind. She barely even felt it. "I-Iwa-nin…"

Remembering what had been said, what had happened right in front of her, Sasuke nodded once to Sai, dismissing him, before turning to face the girl. "Stand up, Aiko." On shaking limbs, she did so. "Stay in here. They won't know you're alive unless you reveal yourself to them. Chances are, they won't even be the same shinobi. Just stay out of the battle."

Somebody quickly entered the cabin, but since he knew the chakra well, Sasuke didn't react. "Take your own advice, Sasuke-kun," Sakura told him seriously, going straight over to her supplies and attaching her medical pouch to her hip. "Itachi told me to give you these orders: stay in this cabin and protect Aiko-chan."

His upper lip curled with anger. "Are they his orders, or yours?"

"His," she muttered, quickly going through her weapons pouch before adding that to her other hip. "Remember our previous fight with them, Sasuke-kun. They were after something. Until we know what it is, until you're well enough to fight, you can't get involved." Sakura felt his anger spiking, heard him begin to raise his voice, but she swiftly cut him off, turning to look at him with a pleading look. "Please, Sasuke-kun. Don't go out there. Please stay here and protect Aiko-chan for me. Please protect yourself. I can't lose either of you."

Damn it, he hated it when Sakura brought out those eyes. The pleading ones. The ones that made him feel as though he was a terrible person if he said no. "Where are you fighting? With Naruto?"

Sakura shook her head and smiled gratefully at him, knowing he had accepted his orders. "No, I'm stationed here and he's going to the main battle along with everyone else. If somebody approaches the cabin, I have to stop them from entering." Once more, he was outraged, uncaring that it was showing on his features. "Sasuke-kun, your chakra is hardly unrecognisable. I could sense it all the way near the fields earlier, but that could be because of how attuned I am with you. Just trust me on this, okay? If I need help, I'll call for you."

"No, you won't."

She chose not to answer him and instead glanced down at Aiko, giving her an apologetic smile. "Don't feel scared, Aiko-chan. Sasuke-kun will take care of you."

Aiko shook her head fiercely, tears filling her eyes. "I'm scared for you, Sakura-sama." She sniffed loudly, the tears falling down her cheeks. "Iwa-nin stole my parents… I don't want them to steal you, too!"

"They won't," Sakura told her with a sigh, yanking her into a comforting embrace. "I'll be back before you know it. Just stay here and try to stay silent."

And Sasuke felt his heart clench when Sakura turned to leave, when Aiko demanded, "Be safe, Mama!"

* * *

She pulled away, but seeing that she wasn't about to crumble like she previously had when calling her mama, she placed a kiss on Aiko's forehead before smirking at Sasuke and leaving the cabin, shutting the door just in time to be greeted by her enemies. It seemed the battles had already begun and the eight before her had slipped through. Sakura stepped in front of her cabin, her arms folding over her chest, her eyes narrowed and deadly as she watched two teams of shinobi stop right in front of her, just as ready as she seemed to be for battle.

"Just give your friend up, kunoichi," the Iwa-nin spat, whipping out six kunai, three in each hand. "We know you're his teammate – we'd recognise your pink hair anywhere."

"What do you want with him?" she demanded, strengthening her stance and lowering her arms from their folded position, dropping them to her sides.

The apparent talker of the group was tall, imposingly so, with long brown hair that seemed to be around the same length as hers. Unlike her own hair, however, his was scraped back and tied up into a high ponytail that sat on the top of his head. His hazel eyes glared at her murderously, as though he couldn't believe she had answered him back, let alone demanded answers from him. "You want to know what we're going to do to him?" he sneered, his thin lips spreading into a crooked, sadistic grin. "We're going to strip the flesh from his bones. We're going to have him screaming in agony, _begging us to stop, to just kill him_. And then, we're going to–"

"Enough, Arata," an Iwa kunoichi snapped, glaring at her comrade. "You talk too much."

The woman then turned her glare on Sakura, increasing it as she did so and in response, she felt like scoffing. _Please!_ Tsunade had looked at her with a much scarier expression on her _good_ days. If this woman thought that her glare was terrifying, she clearly had not met Tsunade on one of her bad days, when she was suffering from an unrelenting hangover and had just found out there was no more sake. Sakura had to suppress a shudder. Utterly terrifying.

"Hand Uchiha Sasuke over."

"Answer my question," Sakura ordered. "What do you want with my teammate?"

"That is none of your concern," the other woman spoke calmly, but she could see the growing frustration in her pale blue eyes. "I will say it one last and after that, I will attack you. _Hand Uchiha Sasuke over to us_."

Eyes narrowing dangerously, Sakura made a single seal and a moment later, her hands were glowing blue. "It looks like you'll have to attack me, because I refuse to hand over my friend," she spat in return, her hands straightening as they were enveloped by chakra. "You won't get anywhere near him."

The woman sighed in response, glancing over her shoulder at one of the other shinobi. "Daichi, we will go with your plan."

His plan? Sakura's eyes narrowed further as her left foot slipped backwards, as she stood in almost the same stance as a Hyuuga would. Both Hinata and Neji had helped her out with this technique, as their eyes could pick up on the chakra pathways. It wouldn't kill her enemies, but it would paralyse them if she hit a certain point. That was good enough for her – it meant they had more captives to interrogate, to try and find out why they wanted Sasuke so badly.

"If it's an Uchiha you want so much, why not go after somebody else?" Sakura could feel Sasuke's chakra spike at her words, like he couldn't believe she was suggesting such a thing. No, she would not offer another Uchiha just so she could keep him – she would never do something like that. Sakura merely wanted answers. "Why does it have to be Sasuke-kun?"

"Don't answer her," the woman, who was now apparently the spokesperson and leader, yelled at her team. "She's either trying to buy time or get answers. Do you really think a Konoha-nin would willingly give up one of their own? They're all sentimental fools," the dark haired woman growled and waved her hand forward. "Daichi."

She felt more than saw the weapons. One suddenly slammed into her stomach, causing Sakura to double over as a cry of pain ripped from her and caused her gathered chakra to dissipate. The next hit her back, making her bend backwards, her back arching from the force of the blow. Agonising screams tore from her throat as Sakura felt oddly shaped weapons slashing across her skin, as she felt hot blood leaving her body.

" _Mama!"_

_No!_

Just as Sakura opened her mouth, about to scream for Aiko to run, a small body was jumping in front of her, knocking her to the ground and she felt her blood run cold at the bloodcurdling scream that came from the little girl.

The sound of Chidori should have drowned her out. The harsh lighting as Sasuke shot out of the cabin and took down the Iwa-nin should have stolen her attention. But it didn't. None of it did. All she could see was the convulsing form of the young girl in her arms, she could only feel the blood pouring freely from not her own wounds, but Aiko's. Sakura's breathing quickened as she quickly and gently lifted the girl from her, rolling her onto her back and lifting her palms over her chest, eyes widening when she summoned her chakra and saw how badly damaged Aiko was.

Irreparable.

The damage was irreparable.

A deadly poison was working its way through her body at a frighteningly fast pace, taking away her movements and as Aiko's body began to still, Sakura felt a sob clawing up her throat and it took everything in her to stay calm. This couldn't be happening! She had promised Aiko so much and it had only been a week. This was not happening. It wasn't. She would open her eyes soon and realise it was all just a bad dream.

"S-Sakura-sama…"

_No._

_No._

_No!_

Tears filled her eyes. It wasn't a bad dream. It was real. The hand trying so hard to lift and grab hers was real. The girl laying beneath her, with a disgusting poison that was too much for her young, malnourished body to handle rushing through her veins, was real.

"Am I…" Aiko wheezed, looking up at Sakura was fading brown eyes. "Am I going t-to see… my parents now?"

A presence appeared behind her, but Sakura couldn't look up at Sasuke. She couldn't. All she could see was Aiko. Aiko, Aiko, _Aiko_! Not even two hours ago they had been picking flowers together, had been laughing and playing in the field. Sakura should have known something bad was going to happen. Everybody had tried to warn her about keeping a child at base camp. And she was like the vile substance pumping through Aiko's body, that was no doubt pumping through her own. She was poison.

"Yeah," Sakura whispered, barely keeping back her sob as she brushed the hair out of Aiko's eyes. "You're going to your parents."

She smiled sadly. "I'll m-miss you, Mama."

"I'm going to miss you, too!"

"Can you sing… to me? A lullaby?"

She didn't know any lullabies.

It was like Sakura's mind had gone blank as she stared down at the paling face belonging to Aiko. horrified.

"I-I don't know any," she whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek no matter how hard she tried to force it back. The presence behind her belonging to Sasuke shifted and an idea struck her. "But… I know… I know some other songs."

Aiko smiled shakily, desperately trying to take a deep breath.

Sakura took a deep breath, willing herself to keep calm. " _In the light shifting through my fingers now, my fighting spirit is hidden the light in my eyes still reflected. I fear the winds opposite answer, crying as I continue to gaze at your courage_." Aiko's smile grew weaker as her eyes grew heavier, staring up into her, fixated on the colour fresh apple green. " _The truth of kindness and fragments of pain pierces my heart and passes away. Inexperience resting in the palm of my hand, an endless tomorrow I will give to my precious person_."

It took everything to hold back her sob that was clawing its way up her throat, especially when Aiko's hand grasped hers with so very little strength. Sakura kept a tight hold of it, offering comfort and completely numbing the pain for her with a burst of chakra. She didn't even notice how others were approaching, how they stopped abruptly at the sight before them. " _Taking a step forward on a journey, the sky spreads far. I fly high and feel, but, even so, I want to dream. In my light of gold, I believe from the heart._ " Her eyes slipped closed and beneath her fingers, Sakura felt Aiko's heart slow until it was beating no more. "…I promise."

Lowering Aiko to the ground, Sakura's head fell into her hands, her body shaking as she cried silently.

Dead.

"Sakura."

The girl she had promised to protect, to love and raise, was dead.

"Sakura-san?"

And it was all her fault.

"Sakura-chan, what–"

Just like they told her it would be.

"Get out!" she suddenly screamed at the group behind her, ignoring the pain in her stomach and back as she threw whatever she could get her hands on at them. "You were right, okay? Aiko-chan's dead! I couldn't do anything and now she's dead. I couldn't save her! I couldn't…" A broken sob escaped Sakura as she clutched her middle tightly. "She's gone. She's gone."

Footsteps sounded, but Sakura barely heard a thing as they left her like she wanted them to, leaving her alone with the lifeless body of the young girl she had killed.


	15. Always Dear to Us

**Chapter 14**

**Always Dear to Us**

* * *

Not wishing to leave her alone in her grief for long, Itachi returned to the front of Team Seven's cabin half an hour later to find Sakura collapsed on the ground, unconscious and losing a frightening amount of blood. It'd startled him to say the least, his worry only escalating when he pressed a hand to her forehead and felt that she was burning up. It was undeniably poison, he'd deducted.

But instead of immediately leaving with Sakura to find medical assistance, he found himself immobilised by the sight of the child's lifeless body. Leaving her seemed so inexcusably wrong, even though he knew she was dead. It was sentimental and weak of him to wonder how Sakura would feel if she woke up to discover he'd left her there alone, not to mention the irritable and heartbroken Uzumaki Naruto, who could potentially stumble across her body and cause a scene he hoped to avoid at all costs. His brother was also out of the cabin - Itachi had guided him away when Sakura demanded to be left alone, noticing how he'd frozen in shock and horror. Since then, he'd been quieter than ever, locked away in his mind and thoughts.

It was with a single seal that Itachi summoned a crow and sent it to look for Shisui, who he knew would understand immediately that he required his assistance. And proving him right, Shisui was there the second he received the message, transporting to where he could sense Itachi's chakra. The scene caused him to pause, however, composure slipping and he said a quiet prayer for the young girl. The reaction eased the weight of his own sentimentality.

"I need you to bury Aiko-chan, Shisui," Itachi told him quietly, kneeling once more beside Sakura and slipping an arm under her knees, the other around her shoulders. "Sakura is feverish," he stated as stood up, bringing her closer to his chest. "We must rule out the possibility of her being poisoned."

Shisui nodded, watching Sakura for a moment before his eyes went back to Aiko, not hiding the pain he was in. "Where should I bury her? Somewhere away from the camp?"

He thought over it for a moment and remembered where he and Sakura had been when Aiko and Naruto had found them – well, found Sakura. It was peaceful there and it was quiet. It was a place where she would be surrounded by many, many flowers - something Itachi knew Aiko would appreciate, since she'd liked the flowers she picked out with Sakura earlier that day.

His eyes closed and he sighed.

Aiko had even picked him some flowers, leaving them on his drawers for him as he hadn't been around, but sadly, he'd only found them after she'd died. The only reason Itachi knew it had been Aiko and not Sakura was because of the leftover chakra. It wasn't much, but Aiko hadn't known how to mask her presence, how to hide all evidence of being there.

He hadn't been given the chance to thank her.

"There is a field she was playing in with Naruto-kun earlier, barely a mile east of here. You will know when you find it."

Nodding a final time, Shisui gently picked Aiko up, Itachi's stomach turning at how fragile and breakable she appeared in his arms. Seeing her blood-soaked clothing sickened him, for she had been an innocent child who was once again caught in the crossfire of their war with Iwa, and Itachi knew that her death would weigh heavily on all of their minds, but undoubtedly Sakura's the most.

"Go and find a medic for Sakura-san, Itachi," Shisui murmured, giving him a small smile. It didn't reach his eyes. "I will take care of Aiko-chan."

Many at the camp had adored Aiko once they got to know her - even Hyuuga Neji had been warmer than usual. Like he had thought earlier that day: she'd brightened the camp up with her laughter and her smiles. Aiko had made many at the camp think of their families back home, of their children and how those children were so very lucky to be in the safety of Konoha. Some had even substituted her, in a way. They'd treated her how they would treat their children, always ensuring she'd eaten before the rest of them and wasn't still hungry when they served up their own food. If she was, they all offered her some of their own. They even told her stories around the campfire about how great Konoha was, and how she would love it there, especially living with Sakura, who always went out of her way to help others and protect them.

Nobody at camp had disliked Aiko, now that he thought about it. They merely disliked Sakura's risky decision.

He nodded, accepting his orders and leaving with a heavy heart, holding Sakura close to his chest as he did his utmost to offer her comfort.

* * *

"Shisui."

Having been too busy lost in his own mind, worrying about the state Sakura would be in mentally when she awoke, saddened by the dead child laying in his arms, he belatedly greeted the other members of Team Seven as they approached, followed closely by Team Gai, Team Seven's temporary members and, surprising him momentarily, Izumo and Kotetsu. They were all grieving the loss of Aiko, but it was evident for them all to see that Naruto had shed a few tears, those bloodshot blue eyes tightening at the sight of Aiko, Shisui noticed.

"We're here to help," Sasuke muttered when Naruto failed to speak.

It seemed even he was mourning, not that Shisui would have expected any different.

Tenzo smiled sadly. "We all want to give her the burial she deserves."

"Itachi suggested we bury her in the field you were in today, Naruto-kun, although he was vague with the directions. Can you lead the way?"

* * *

He nodded numbly and did as he was asked, taking them down the same path he and Aiko had taken not too long ago. It felt so surreal, so unbelievable. But as he glanced down at the pale, lifeless body in Shisui's arms, Naruto felt his chest give an uncomfortable squeeze and he had to look away. It was strange how in such a short amount of time, Aiko had become dear to him. He could still remember her excitement, her happiness, when he, Sakura and Sasuke had told her she was now a member of Team Seven. Whether she wanted to be a shinobi or not didn't matter. She was a part of their family and that meaning wasn't lost on her.

Gods, how was Sakura taking the news? She had been so excited about taking Aiko back to Konoha, in giving her the life she truly deserved. They had been talking about getting a home together, Aiko going to school…

Aiko had even been calling her 'Mama'.

"Shisui," Naruto murmured after a moment, his throat feeling tight and voice low with emotion. "Sakura-chan…?"

"Itachi has taken Sakura-san to have her injuries treated by one of the medic-nin here." Of course, though Naruto knew they were not as skilled as herself, which was why Tsunade had sent her in the first place. Well, that and the fact she needed to heal their eyes. "When he approached her… She was unconscious and there was the scent of poison in her blood."

The two members of Team Seven nodded silently, knowing they didn't need to be worried about her. Sakura was one of the greatest medic-nin there had ever been and thanks to Shizune, she was skilled with poisons. The seal on her forehead, the jutsu she could activate, would not allow for her to die. They had seen that for themselves.

* * *

Aiko had died because her body couldn't handle the poison, couldn't fight back hard enough.

Sasuke gritted his teeth. He should have moved faster, should have reacted faster. The second he had seen Aiko sprinting out of the room, screaming Sakura's name, he had frozen, absolutely horrified by the vicious beating his teammate was taking just to protect him. The force of the blows had literally made her body bend in the most agonising, unnatural positions and it had sickened him that he'd frozen in place. It _still_ sickened him. A child had reacted faster than he had. She hadn't thought twice about jumping in front of Sakura and taking the attack head on. It was the second he heard Aiko's screams that Sasuke had finally snapped out of his stupor, Chidori charging up almost of its own accord as he shot out of the cabin and took down the Iwa-nin like it was nothing, foolishly hoping he was fast enough to save her, to spare his teammate the heartbreak.

And when they were all dead, when he had seen Sakura trying so hard to heal Aiko before holding her gently, singing to her…

It had been his song that she had sung.

How long ago had it been when he wrote that song, or when she found out he'd written it, at least? A long while. It'd been while he was sick and unable to leave his room that Sasuke wrote _Kogane no Hikari_ and he was pleasantly surprised that she'd remembered the words, since she'd only been humming it to Aiko at night to soothe her after a nightmare. She had told him before, when Sakura had forced him into performing for her, that his voice was nice, that it soothed her and made her feel relaxed. Perhaps that was why she chose the song to help Aiko after a nightmare, choosing it like she was sending the girl to sleep rather than her dying?

"We're here," Naruto told them quietly, his head raising to look around him.

Sasuke barely even took note of the surroundings, his eyes trailing to the blonde hair hanging over Shisui's arm.

"It's beautiful here," Tenten stated as she watched the flowers moving in the light breeze, their colours standing out yet not overly so. By her side, Neji nodded once in agreement whereas Lee was uncharacteristically silent. He had been since the death of the young girl. Sasuke wondered if it would always take a child dying to shut him up.

"Over here," the blond told Shisui, leading him over to the patch of flowers that Sasuke vaguely recognised. They were similar to the ones on Itachi's drawer. "She liked it here most because she could see the whole clearing."

They were all silent as Tenzo created the coffin, as he used his earth style and opened up the ground beneath a large tree surrounded by many different flowers that the sun bathed in its heat. And together, Naruto and Sasuke lowered the coffin into the ground as gently as possible, pausing in standing up as they silently said their goodbyes.

_Sakura,_ thought Sasuke, throat tight. _I'm sorry._

And once the ground was closed up, once Tenzo had created a headstone for Aiko, Sai accepted the kunai from Tenten and knelt before the headstone, engraving a message into the stone with flowers surrounding it:

_Aiko_

_Honorary member of Team Seven._

_You will always be dear to us._

"Sakura will appreciate that," Tenzo told Sai as the artist stood up and smiled, handing the kunai back to its owner. His smile seemed different than usual, Sasuke noticed vaguely. It wasn't fake. It was small and sad. Apparently he had also enjoyed having the young girl around.

"She liked my art," he murmured when he noticed their confusion and surprise.

"Thanks, Sai."

Sai merely nodded in reply to Naruto.

"Let us pray for her," Shisui said quietly, closing his eyes and falling silent. The others were right behind him.

Once they had paid their respects, one by one, they all left the field and headed back towards camp until it was only Naruto and Sasuke remaining. The former fell to his knees the moment they were alone, knowing that he could trust his best friend not to pick at him for his moment of weakness, especially not now. No, he couldn't. Not when he could also feel that gut wrenching feeling of failure and sadness.

It wasn't long until he was also kneeling before the headstone, his eyes never leaving the name that should not be written on it.

No, he wasn't about to start saying he loved the kid – even though it sounded so wrong of him. Sasuke would still stick by his previous words. Aiko had been annoying, had asked way too many questions. She was like a younger Sakura. And that was why he was in so much pain, he believed. Aiko had been just like Sakura, his best friend and it was that realisation that brought him all the good qualities of the young girl. The way she would tilt her head to the side whenever speaking with Itachi, like she was trying to figure him out. The way she would watch Sakura with obvious admiration. How she would stare up at him with wide, warm brown eyes, seeming to be intrigued. Those were three things he had never noticed until today. Other things would be the way Aiko's voice trembled when she was excited. It would sound higher when she was scared or about to cry. For eleven, just like Sakura had stated on the day Aiko woke up, the girl was small for her age and there were moments where she would sound so very young, but then there were other moments that would tell them of the horrors she had seen.

"Aiko-chan…" Naruto mumbled to Sasuke quietly. "Aiko-chan told me that I'd make a good leader."

The Uchiha closed his eyes and made a sound of exhausted amusement. "Everybody makes mistakes."

* * *

He was torn between laughing at Sasuke's joke, or screaming at him that it hadn't been a mistake. Aiko had truly meant what she told him that day – that he'd make a good leader. It had been while on their way there. He had asked her what she wanted to be, if not a shinobi. Her answer? " _I want to be a healer, like Sakura-sama. That way I can save others like she's saved me. Children won't have to be orphaned like I was._ " Naruto smiled softly to himself. Was Sakura aware of how much Aiko had admired her? Adored her? The kid had brought her up in almost every topic they discussed.

And then, when she asked about what _he_ wanted to be, he told her about his dream of becoming Hokage. Of course he had had to explain to her what it meant to be Hokage and for a few minutes, Aiko had been silent. She then told him, " _You'd make a good leader, Naruto-sama. I think you'd look after people and make sure every day was fun for everyone!_ "

"It's weird," Naruto spoke up once more, although could have been speaking to himself. Even he didn't know. "We only knew her for about two weeks, but it felt like she'd always been there, you know?"

"…Yeah."

"Kinda going to miss having her around. She's the only one who called me 'Naruto-sama'."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "She'll be the only one who calls you 'Naruto-sama', usuratonkachi."

They stayed kneeling before the headstone for another five minutes before they both stood up, Naruto placing his hand on the top of the headstone and smiling sadly. "We're going to go and check up on Sakura-chan, Aiko-chan. She's okay thanks to you! As soon as her injuries are healed, she'll be down here to visit you."

* * *

Her injuries were more serious than he had thought, prompting him to feel a swell of guilt for not rushing her to the medics the second her saw her laying unconscious.

Itachi watching the two medic-nin closely as they tried to extract the poison from her body, knowing that it was undoubtedly the same poison used on the little girl considering she'd taken the attack for Sakura. That meant it was the same poison coursing through Sakura's veins that had killed Aiko.

On the outside, Itachi was blank, his features cold and unapproachable. On the inside, however, he was uneasy and many different questions were racing through his mind, his main concern being: how long did they have before it became too much for Sakura? Aiko's body had been much younger than hers and she had also been malnourished (though getting better), meaning it couldn't fight the poison off like Sakura's could. Also, the kunoichi had her _Byakugō no In_. If things became deadly, she could release it, could use _Sōzō Saisei_ , but that was only if she regained consciousness, he believed. It was because of her seal that Itachi had allowed her to fight in the first place, despite there being laws that no medic-nin should fight and his instincts instructing him to have her sit the battle out. Those who mastered the _Byakugō no Jutsu_ and _Sōzō Saisei_ were allowed to discard those medic-nin laws set by Tsunade herself.

Had he made the right decision in allowing Sakura to fight? Itachi had been certain that no Iwa-nin would get through them all, but right at the last moment, just as they had been finishing up, Neji had exclaimed that eight of them had travelled underground and cloaked their chakra right until the last minute. That last minute had been when they began attacking Sakura. Itachi had inwardly cursed himself and continued to do so until that very moment, watching as the medics worked desperately to save her life. It was his duty to make sure things such as that never happened. He was supposed to think ahead of the enemy.

It only went to prove that being at base camp four for seven to eight months now, constantly being on edge and ready to fight at any moment, got to a person after a while. Even him.

They had all made it in time to hear the end of Sakura's song, to see Aiko pass away in her arms and he would be lying if he said that his stomach hadn't dropped, that his chest hadn't ached viciously when Sakura had whirled around and screamed at them, when she had started to throw discarded weapons at them. Neji had been about to yell at her for attacking comrades but was silenced by Sasuke's furious glare, though Itachi couldn't blame his brother for looking at Neji in such a way. It had taken everything in him not to do the same, to remain emotionless.

So for a while Itachi spoke with Sasuke, asking to know what happened. It had been a surprise attack with weapons Sakura had never seen before and they were too fast for her to dodge (even Sasuke hadn't been able to keep up with them without the use of his sharingan). Sasuke told him about freezing in place like he was a coward right until Aiko ran out of the cabin and took on the attack, stunning the Iwa-nin long enough for him to rush out there and finish them off with Chidori.

All of it could have been prevented. Itachi sighed and averted his eyes from Sakura's features, going back to closely watching the medic-nin. If she had listened to him instead of being so stubborn, all of this could have been avoided. Aiko could have been back in Konoha, waiting for Sakura to return. She could–

No.

It wasn't fair to think that way. Not now.

If it hadn't been for Aiko's bravery, they would have lost Sakura and even though Sasuke had taken them all out, that was purely down to their shock of killing a child, which meant they would have lost his younger brother, too. Itachi didn't know whether to be thankful to Aiko for how she had saved not only Sakura, but also Sasuke, or to ache over the fact an innocent child had lost her life because of their battle, their war.

He sat down at the desk in Team Seven's cabin and opened up an empty scroll, taking a moment to breathe before he began his report to Tsunade. She had to know every detail of what had happened, of everything they had found out. Of the person they had lost.

It was forty-five minutes later when the medic-nin politely called out to him, gaining them his attention.

"We have finally extracted the poison from Haruno-senpai, Uchiha-taichou," the man spoke, seeming rather proud of himself. "Forgive us for taking so long – we are not poison specialists."

He had reason to be proud of himself, Itachi thought. Standing up, he made his way over to Sakura's bed, examining her with his eyes. "And her injuries?"

The second man grimaced for a second. "They were severe, Uchiha-taichou. Damage had been done to her spine from the force of the attacks, but it seems her seal automatically sends healing chakra throughout her body. It's almost as though it was aiding us, telling us the parts that needed healing the most."

Of course. The seal and all jutsu used with it, were strictly forbidden and perhaps that wasn't entirely due to the fact that it was difficult to master? Perhaps there were other reasons for that, for Itachi was willing to bet that, subconsciously, Sakura had been about to use _Sōzō Saisei_ before she felt healing chakra invading her body. There were rumours that some medics automatically healed themselves even while unconscious and while that was rare to happen, it was not impossible. Perhaps that was why Tsunade was so strict with the jutsu? Due to the downsides of overusing it? "How long will she be unconscious for, Harou-san?"

"It's hard to tell," Harou, the second man, told him. He wiped his forearm across his forehead, causing his light brown hair to stick up at the front. It was obvious they were both low on chakra because the first man was also sweating lightly and seemed drained, swaying slightly on his feet. "She is feverish still and unfortunately, we cannot tell how long it will last or how severe it will be. We used most of our chakra healing her wounds and extracting the poison. Right now, we're running on empty. It will be a danger to her to continue as we are."

The first man spoke up, noticing the crease between Itachi's eyebrows and realising he disliked the news. "Don't worry, Taichou. Haruno-senpai is out of danger now. Once we have rested and restored our chakra, we can bring down the fever. However, it is sometimes best to let things pass in their own time. Naturally."

Itachi nodded once. "Thank you, Harou-san, Kanaye-san. Please, ensure you eat and rest up. I will watch Sakura until you are both well rested."

Bowing respectfully, the two men left and once alone, Itachi sighed and faced Sakura.

He had finished his report and due to it being somewhat an emergency, Itachi summoned his crow and ordered it to personally take the scroll to Tsunade, also understanding their messenger bird was not to be overused in case of enemies watching them. Using the same bird so many times would be suspicious and there was the risk of enemies lurking in the surrounding area, just outside of Neji's range.

Just as he was about to shut the door, Naruto and Sasuke appeared, the former looking upset while the latter was somewhat detached, yet still evidently worried for his teammate.

"Nii-san, Sakura…?"

"The medics say that she is healing well," Itachi told them both and stepped further into the cabin, allowing them entry. "Right now, however, Sakura is feverish and needs to be watched. They are not sure when the fever will break and are too low on chakra to try and break it themselves. Apparently it would be best to let it pass naturally."

Sasuke nodded and slipped off his sandals. "Sakura mentioned something along those lines before, back when Naruto managed to get himself poisoned."

Instead of yelling at him like he normally would have, Naruto was too busy staring down at Sakura's sweaty face sadly. "How do you think she's going to take the news about Aiko-chan?"

The youngest Uchiha grunted. "She already knows. You're forgetting that Sakura was there."

Blue eyes snapped to dark, narrowed dangerously and angry. "I know that! I meant how is she going to feel when she wakes up?"

"Devastated." Sasuke shrugged. "She may not have known Aiko long, but it's obvious that she cared for her." Just as Naruto opened his mouth, Sasuke glared at him. "Get out, Naruto. I need to speak with Itachi."

"What?" he practically screamed, glaring right back at the Uchiha. "Go and talk some place else. I'm not leaving Sakura-chan's side!"

"Lower your voice, Naruto-kun." Itachi sighed, noticing how Sakura was beginning to scowl in her sleep. "Sakura needs to rest right now and you are going to wake her up. I am sure that whatever Sasuke has to tell me will not take long. Go and have something to eat. By the time you return, we should be done talking."

It was obvious that he didn't like it, that he didn't want to leave. He did so, though it was only after sending a final glare over at Sasuke that Naruto slipped out of the cabin quietly, shutting the door behind him. Once he had left, Itachi took a seat at the table in the cabin, watching his younger brother carefully. Whatever he needed to say was obviously important, but as always, it appeared he needed a push.

"What is it, Sasuke?"

"It's about Sakura."

"What about her?"

"Sakura has a habit of trying to take care of and fix broken people," Sasuke told Itachi somewhat awkwardly, his eyes narrowing a fraction. The expression alone informed him that his brother was stepping way out of his comfort zone by opening up in such a way, so Itachi remained silent, allowing him to continue despite his believing he had no right to hear about Sakura's past from anyone other than herself. "First there was Gaara and when he told her he couldn't love her, that he didn't ever want to risk falling in love or loving somebody again, no matter how much he changed, she made the choice to stick by him and tried to fix him anyway. That didn't work out and she got hurt. They _both_ did because while they weren't in love, they began to depend on one another, on finding comfort in each other." Ah. It seemed now that he'd started, he was struggling to contain the words that came out as more of a tirade. "And then there was Aiko. The girl watched her parents being murdered, her mother being raped. Sakura wanted to fix Aiko, too."

It was Itachi's turn to narrow his eyes. "What are you insinuating, Sasuke?"

There was a pause, an uncomfortable one. "Don't hurt her, Nii-san. I may have been blind, but I could still hear how you were speaking with one another. I could still use my senses and sense how you were both standing or holding yourselves. Clearly something is happening or going to happen. I know her and I know you. Just don't hurt her. Sakura's already been through enough pain – she doesn't need to go through any more."

He sighed and glanced down at the unconscious woman, regarding her silently and allowing Sasuke's words to play in his mind. "I am not broken."

"Which is what I'm trying to warn you about." Sasuke also sighed and sat down on the end of Sakura's bed, apparently not missing how Itachi's eyebrows twitched as though about to knit together, going off the way he stared for a second too long, causing him to curse himself for showing his uncertainty regarding their relationship. "You're not broken, which means Sakura isn't going to try and fix you."

"You are not making any sense, Sasuke." Would it be strange to say that Itachi was growing agitated and impatient? Where had this conversation even come from? Would it be best to refuse his brother the opportunity to get lost in his own thoughts? "Sakura and I are friends."

"Cut the crap, Nii-san," the younger Uchiha growled, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "I get that you two haven't known each other long. I get that it'd be improper to just jump into a relationship all of a sudden – which is why I'm not suggesting that you do that. I'm saying that if you feel anything for Sakura, anything at all…" He shook his head, his annoyance obvious. "You don't waste your time with people unless you know it's going somewhere. You're not the kind of guy who has one night stands or flings." There was a pause, one that had Itachi's agitation fading away. The look on Sasuke's face was pained. "…I broke her, Itachi."

What? Itachi thought back on Sakura's memories of Sasuke, the ones that he'd seen while using _Tsukuyomi_ on her. Yes, there was pain and she had been hurt. Perhaps at one point, she had been heartbroken, but that was back when Sakura was a child. He hardly thought any of that counted. However, Sasuke was not one for dramatics. Of course he had his moments, but he was serious in that moment. Just the look on his face told Itachi how badly his brother believed he had broken Sakura.

"How?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes before glaring down at her features, watching her as he spoke. "Everybody knows about her… crush on me." Itachi nodded to show that he was listening. "It wasn't just a crush, Nii-san. It was love. It still is love. But Sakura was confused at the time. We both were. She admired me, yes, but she never loved me in a romantic way." He sighed, glancing over to his brother and Itachi found himself struggling to understand the emotions in his tired gaze. "We were both confused. When Naruto left… We came to depend on one another. I tolerated her love, her obsessive crush – no, I encouraged it. It was the only sense of normalcy at the time. Naruto was gone and so was Kakashi. We were both feeling lost and like we'd been left behind and then Sakura became Tsunade's apprentice." Itachi bit back his almost automatic reply for his brother to show respect for their Hokage, instead of speaking of her as though she was a common civilian. He knew his brother didn't care much for honorifics. "Anko was training me at the time so I didn't think too much of it. But then, once she taught me everything she knew, I…" His eyebrows mashed together and he averted his eyes once more, trying and failing to hide his shame. "I started to feel like it was only me who was being left behind and forgotten about.

"So, I deliberately sought Sakura out, spending as much time with her as I could outside of missions and training. There was this feeling building between us and when I looked at her, I felt this… warmth in my chest. I thought I was falling in love with her." Sasuke dropped his head into his hands. "It was wrong of me to lead her on when I had no romantic feelings for her and I guess it came back to bite me in the ass because suddenly, I was wanting to be with her all the time. I actually wanted to listen to her instead of tuning her out and grunting every now and then to make her believe I'm listening. And when she was in pain, when she was upset, it felt like I was experiencing that pain, too."

"It is understandable why you thought you were in love, Sasuke," he murmured, noticing the pained look on his features. "Even the villagers–"

His head snapped up, eyes once again narrowing. "The villagers make everything so much worse!" It took a lot of effort to keep his voice down, to stop himself from outright yelling. "They were always telling us, _are_ always telling us, how cute we look together and other shit like that. I have clansmen approaching me and asking when I'm going to propose and start producing children. Do you know how hard it is for her to hear that shit? Even though she's young, Sakura wants kids more than anything. She's always wanted a family." Itachi inwardly grimaced while glancing to the woman out of the corner of his eye, but was thankful when Sasuke took a deep, calming breath, willing himself to calm down and if not for himself, then for Sakura, who really needed to rest. "One night, we were at Yamanaka Ino's party and she had pretty much invited everyone in the village between the ages of fourteen and twenty." It had been ridiculously packed, from what he recalled of the rumours. "Both Sakura and I felt uncomfortable with being so crowded, so we left the party early. Took a walk through the village until we ended up on top of the Yondaime's head. Things… happened."

He knew exactly what his brother was talking about by 'things'. He had ever since using _Tsukuyomi_. But he knew Sakura was denying it, was pushing it away and pretending like it never happened. To her, it had been nothing more than a kiss.

"Things got awkward and we sat there for a while, not sure what to do with ourselves." Sasuke sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "She looked devastated, Nii-san. Like she'd just heard or found out some life altering news."

Honestly, she _had_. Sakura had spent almost her entire life following Sasuke around, wearing her love for him proudly for everyone to see. To suddenly find out that her love for him was not in the romantic way, after being so physically intimate after weeks (possibly months) of being lead on, was no doubt agonising for her.

"But… I made her stay," he told Itachi, continuing with his story. "I made her stay so we could talk about it. Kakashi and Naruto were gone. You were away. Father… was Father. Mother doesn't understand – she still treats me like I'm a child sometimes. I felt like Sakura was the only person I had left who I could speak to. All that kept running through my mind was that I couldn't be left behind. Sakura couldn't leave me and allow this awkward feeling to fester into something messier." Sasuke looked down at her again, fighting the sadness he could feel because he didn't want it to show. Too bad he was skilled in reading his brother. "And we repaired our friendship – it's stronger than it had ever been before. Those feelings are still there but we know now that we're not _in love_. But since then Sakura's had this… need, this habit, to fix everything that's broken. Part of her believes nobody would ever willingly come to her. They have to be broken to do so."

It was silent for a few minutes as Itachi absorbed the information. "I feel confused about your bond with Sakura, Sasuke. I don't understand how you can both be so close, or how you understand her so much." He chuckled softly for a moment. "Try as I might, I cannot understand her in the slightest. Everything she does surprises me."

Sasuke smirked. "Sometimes, she just needs somebody to be there for her," he murmured quietly, watching how Sakura twisted under the covers until she was laying on her front, curled around one of the spare pillows. "Either it's to listen to her, or to hold her. It's almost subconsciously that she does it, too. Sakura goes to the place she feels safest." Sakura sighed in her restless sleep, sounding annoyed and the way her hand fell against the pillow was bordering on aggressive. "If you have her trust, she'll come to you, like a wounded, scared animal – or a child seeking comfort. Even though Sakura tries to act tough, she just… needs somebody to be there for her, to hold her. Don't tell her that everything is going to be okay, because she'll know you're lying and she'll close herself off. Just… make it known to her that she doesn't have to face whatever it is that's going on alone. That's all Sakura needs. That's how our bond works, Itachi. For now, I'm the person she feels safest around. I'm her safety."

Once more, Itachi was feeling confused, but not as much as before. "For now?"

His eyebrows knitted together. "Yeah. When Sakura gets married one day, her husband is who she'll feel safest with. I won't be the person she comes to anymore."

"Does that upset you?"

"…No," he answered after a brief pause. "I want Sakura to find happiness."

"You're turning into a fine young man, Sasuke. You should be proud of yourself," Itachi told him honestly, proudly. "Not many men would do the same thing."

He nodded, then looked up at his brother. "I'm telling you all this because now that I can see, I can see how you're both acting around one another. There's obvious attraction there. And tension. I just want to make sure you won't hurt her, Nii-san. My bonds with both you and Sakura are precious to me and I don't want to be stuck in between you both."

"You won't," Itachi murmured and was once more glancing down at Sakura. "You have my word that I will never hurt Sakura, Sasuke."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying not to change too much in the story, but it's so tempting when I read some of the content in the original haha. It's also why there's short perspective changes/breaks. I don't want to take too much out of the original story.
> 
> Anyways, hope you all enjoyed! Sorry it's taken so long for me to get back to editing this.


	16. You're Looking After Me?

**Chapter 15**

**You're Looking After Me?**

* * *

That night, his older brother refused to leave their team's cabin and for that, Sasuke was grateful, for there was no-one he would trust more to protect his vulnerable friend and teammate than him.

It was around an hour after their talk that Naruto returned with his version of a peace offering - food in the sickening form of cup ramen, though neither complained as they'd yet to eat dinner. As they ate, the blond questioned his brother's presence in the cabin and asked if it was really necessary with them both being there for Sakura, to which Itachi had predictably and effortlessly shut his questions down with ones of his own (rather than simply answering him), asking what he knew of poisons and fevers or whether he possessed any medical knowledge at all. Adding to that, he explained that he'd obtained a basic knowledge of medic-ninjutsu due to being in ANBU, though unfortunately not enough to break the fever. So, reluctantly, they waited it out, even as their teammate began trembling and chattering and mumbling to herself. Unintelligibly at first, though it was still enough to keep them awake for longer than usual. 

Naruto was the first to fall asleep, sprawled out under his covers with his head tilted in Sakura's direction, eyes drooping for a solid hour before he finally lost his battle of remaining conscious and much to his internal frustration, Sasuke followed suit, his final, _definite_ image being his brother settling in a chair beside his teammate's bed, legs stretching out and ankles crossing as he leaned back into his seat. It was a comforting sight.

When Sasuke next awoke, it was to the sound of a soft sobbing and more incomprehensible utterings and he noticed he wasn't the only one roused from his dozing by it. The candles were still lit, though barely and it was the first thing to be rectified when Itachi stood and stretched, bringing one to Sakura's bedside to get a better look of her. For a brief moment, Sasuke wondered if it was for his benefit, for him to be able to see for himself that she was sweating profusely with her features contorted with pain, but that notion was soon dismissed.

_Of course_ , Sasuke thought to himself as he watched his older brother, _he was also gradually losing his sight._

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto was the first to speak as he sat up in his bed, worriedly watching her.

They strained to hear her words, though soon managed to make out a whimpered, "I-I'm sorry."

"What for?" he chuckled sheepishly and threw back his covers to go over to her. "You're–"

Was it such a good idea to converse with her in that state? Sasuke wondered. He glanced to Itachi like he was capable of reading his mind and giving him the answers, so that he wouldn't have to word his worry out loud, but alas, he couldn't.

"Tell him I'm sorry!"

It was the first clearly spoken sentence in a while, he noticed and it had his unease increasing. Did it mean her fever was worsening? Sasuke frowned, a pit in his stomach making itself known as he belatedly noticed her eyes opening, but remaining unseeing. Was she hallucinating?

"She is delirious because of her fever, Naruto-kun," Itachi told him, fixing the sheets over Sakura's sweating and trembling body. "She most likely can't hear you right now."

Well, that answered that concern, though what about the others? Was it safe to prod her thoughts, or was that considered an invasion of privacy? Would there be any truth to her words, or were they to take it with a pinch of salt due to her delirium? Once more, Sasuke looked to Itachi, frowning when his brother lingered with a sigh and placed the candle down beside her bed. He tucked his chair in closer to her, though didn't sit down.

"But… Who does she want to apologise to?"

Personally, Sasuke would have thought her mind would've been on Aiko, but that didn't seem to be the case as she began stuttering a completely different name.

"K-K-Kaka…" her voice was a whisper. "Kakashi-sensei… I-I'm sorry!"

They were all stunned, but Sasuke didn't care to take note of the others. What could his friend possibly be sorry for when it came to their former sensei? She'd done nothing wrong, as far as he was aware of and if anyone deserved an apology between the pair, then it was undoubtedly her.

So… "Why Kakashi?" he wondered aloud, eyebrows mashing together. It just didn't make sense to him. Surely, Sakura knew she had nothing to apologise for?

Could Sakura hear them? It appeared as though a part of her could, because she replied in broken sentences and mumbles (even though they couldn't understand half of what she was saying) and it reminded Sasuke of the way a person who was half asleep would talk in the middle of the night. He could recall many a time in the past when he'd supposedly been dead to the world, out cold for hours on end, only to wake up the next day to find that he'd had full blown conversations with his mother or brother when one checked in on him upon hearing his sleepy ramblings, no doubt believing he'd gone insane.

"…disappointed," she cried quietly and he frowned upon noticing the glistening of her tears being caught in the candlelight, alerting him to her crying. "…ignored me, b-because… weak… and… and I… I'm sorry… for being so weak!"

Naruto's response was both predictable and instantaneous, complete by his getting up and rushing to her bedside. "You're not weak, Sakura-chan," he exclaimed. "And Kakashi-sensei didn't-"

Sasuke growled and sat up in his bed, glaring viciously at Naruto. "What the hell would you know? You weren't there."

He paused in his movements, seeming to freeze in place as he turned to face him. "What?"

"You don't know what it was like for any of us when you left, so don't talk like you know everything." Because it was irritating the hell out of him.

"D-Did I do something wrong?" she whispered, obviously not hearing their conversation. "I… I only want to make my team proud…"

There was an air of melancholy to his older brother as he continued to watch her features, like he'd been sucked in by her tortured thoughts and inner demons.

Sasuke believed every member of his team had issues of some form (even Kakashi, who'd been labelled as the friend killer), or a difficulty they'd been forced to face, but he _knew_ Sakura's was often overlooked due to, say, Naruto's severely traumatising past. Nobody noticed the damage caused by years of bullying, they didn't care for the self-imagery issues or the loss of confidence and self-esteem - couldn't, when they were faced with Naruto's solitude and his branding of being a monster, of the hateful glares that followed him wherever he went. To them, it simply wasn't as important, meaning her problems were left to fester and her weaknesses only became more obvious throughout their time together on Team Seven.

It was partly why Sasuke believed she was the one owed an apology from Kakashi. For him to ignore her the way he had (although he was glad for his own training from their former sensei) was undeniably wrong, especially considering he would have noticed her lack of confidence. It was his duty to build her up, to teach her jutsu that _aided_ her in growing more confident in herself. Instead, he left her flailing and grasping at whatever happened to fall in her direction. Sasuke never blamed her for ditching and going straight to Tsunade for training.

He was brought out of his brooding by his brother's weighted sigh and gently spoken words. "I am sure you have made Kakashi-san proud, Sakura. You are no longer twelve years old. You have grown since then and if he is not proud of your growth, then he is a fool."

So, she could hear them? Or was he mistaken? No, he couldn't have been, for she slowly nodded and like she'd been aching for a reprieve from her darker thoughts and finally got it, her eyes fluttered for a few moments before finally shutting, breathing evening out somewhat.

"How did you do that?" demanded Naruto, staring at Itachi in wide-eyed shock. "Did you use your sharingan?"

"No, Naruto-kun," he murmured in reply and once more fixed the sheets around Sakura's body. "Sometimes, it is best to try and ease the mind of what is burdening it." When Naruto opened his mouth, ready to argue, Itachi beat him to the punch of ordering his idiotic best friend to shut up by sighing again. "I am not saying she is free of that feeling - I'm simply telling you that for now, it is not bothering her."

Much to his annoyance, he was the next on the list for questioning as Naruto fell back onto his own bed, arms folding behind his head while his eyebrows furrowed. "Sasuke, what did you mean-"

"Just leave it," he grunted in reply, laying down once more with his back to Naruto.

"How am I supposed to leave it?" he demanded furiously, though made a sheepish effort to keep his voice low when he was shot a warning look from Itachi - something that pissed Sasuke off even more. Why the hell did he fear Itachi's glares but not his own? His brother was far less likely to take it a step further and trap him in a genjutsu, or beat the shit out of him for ignoring his warning. "Sakura-chan's hurting! I need to try and fix whatever's broken-"

Like hell he could ever 'fix' Sakura, Sasuke thought angrily. He did his best to remain calm, to take deep, even breaths. It wasn't working. His anger was swelling and multiplying with each word that left Naruto's mouth. It was fine for the blond – he had left Konoha. He never had to witness the state Sakura had been in at times. The times when she had snuck into the Uchiha District (not exactly sneaking, for they had all known she was there) and wordlessly joined him in bed, just so she knew he was there. She wouldn't cling to him and would in fact leave a respectful distance between them, but her hand would rest on his back, like it was telling her that no, Sasuke had not left her behind. Neither Naruto nor Kakashi witnessed when she would break down during their sparring sessions, apologising about making a mistake or not doing her best. Sure, since returning, they knew she got lonely sometimes and they always tried to make her feel better, but they didn't know her like Sasuke knew her, like he had gotten to know her. They weren't aware just how badly that feeling of loneliness was eating her up inside.

"I said leave it," Sasuke growled in return, his voice deepening and sounding rougher with his anger.

It shut Naruto up immediately and he knew it was because had never heard Sasuke use that tone of voice on him before and especially not while talking about Sakura. The only times he heard it was during battle, when he was threatening or arguing fiercely with their enemies. Was that how he was seeing Naruto at that moment in time? As an enemy and not a comrade, a friend? Honestly? Sasuke himself didn't even know. All he knew was that Naruto was pissing him off.

Using his elbows to hold his upper body up, the blond glared over at Sasuke's bed. He still had his back to him and the covers over his body, but he knew what he was doing. Being blind for as long as he had heightened his others sense - he hoped they would stay that way, too.

"Go back to sleep, Naruto-kun," Itachi ordered quietly, watching the two younger males for a moment before he sat down in his chair once more, much closer to Sakura's bed. If she was delirious, he would have to keep a closer eye on her, especially since she was waking up and at risk of harming herself. Sasuke admitted that, in his state, he wasn't much use to her but he trusted his brother completely to take care of her. "I will wake you both when Sakura wakes up."

It obviously comforted him how Itachi said "when she wakes up" and not "if she wakes up". Even though there was a chance she wouldn't wake until tomorrow, after Naruto had already woken up, he wouldn't care. It was a relief to him to know that if something happened, he would be told and not left out. "Thanks, Itachi. For looking after her, I mean."

He nodded once.

The second he heard Naruto's breathing evening out, telling him that he was asleep, Sasuke rolled onto his back and glared up at the ceiling angrily.

No, he wasn't overprotective of Sakura and he wasn't possessive either (although Sasuke would admit that yes, he had always been protective of her, had always thrown himself in front of her and saved her, but this felt different for it wasn't enemies he was protecting her from - it was their own teammates and their carelessness), however, a part of him would never be able to forgive the other two members of Team Seven for hurting her so badly, even if they weren't fully aware of the damage they had caused.

They seriously didn't know how badly they screwed her up, did they? And that was what made Sasuke so angry. They _didn't_ know, because they hadn't been there. Kakashi was… understandable to an extent. He genuinely hadn't known what to do with Sakura other than teaching her how to use chakra and work with her occasionally on genjutsu. Back then, there hadn't been a lot she was good at and even Sasuke would admit that. But what about after? What about when she started growing stronger, more powerful? Before he left to work at the border, they had sparred a few times, but Sasuke had noticed how Kakashi always held back while sparring with Sakura. Why? He didn't hold back when fighting him and Naruto. Sakura was hardly a snot-nosed genin anymore. In her own way, she was powerful. One punch and you were dead. How many people could actually do something like that? End your life in one blow or one tap of her hand on your chest?

"It does not do well to dwell on the past, Sasuke," his brother spoke up after a while.

"What would _you_ know?"

"I know enough to say that sometimes, it is best to let it go."

_Let it go_. Sasuke had tried so hard to let it go, to let go of all the anger festering inside of him. "It's easier said than done."

Itachi gave a small smile at that, opening his eyes and glancing over at Sasuke's scowling features. "Just remember that they are here now," he reminded him. "And do not forget that you also came close to doing the same thing. Not only leaving Sakura behind, but also our family. Our village. Everyone."

Maybe that was why it made him so angry? The fact that he'd come so incredibly close to making what could have possibly been one of the greatest mistakes of his life? It was a good job that they'd all stopped him in the end, had caught him in time. Why the hell had he even wanted to follow Orochimaru in the first place? For more power? Mitarashi Anko was able to teach him everything the vile snake had taught her and had even shown him scrolls with a few of Orochimaru's jutsu she hadn't been able to master. Anko had told him that if he'd actually gone, he would have been classed as a traitor, because Orochimaru would have somehow found a way to turn him against Konoha. One time, she had even cast a vicious genjutsu over him, forcing him to see the destruction of Konoha when Orochimaru and Suna teamed up, over and over again. She told him that that would happen again if he left with the snake, only, he would be helping out. He would be killing his own friends and family.

Sasuke didn't want that and there was no use in denying that after that particular training session, his dreams had become nightmares. He watched himself through another's eyes, watched himself slaughtering the villagers. Watched himself killing his former-sensei, his teammates, his clan, his family. Anko was a hardass and her methods were just as questionable as Kakashi's, but she had made him see sense. He didn't need Orochimaru. To go with him would have been a truly big mistake.

"Itachi, do–"

But a quieter, softer voice cut him off.

"It's okay," Sakura whispered quietly, surprising them both with how soft her voice was, how comforting it sounded. When had she even opened her eyes? Was she actually awake now? Was it their conversation she was responding to? Just as Sasuke opened his mouth to question her, she resumed her own conversation in broken up sentences. "It's okay… Just calm down, Gaara." She sat up slowly, as though trying not to startle somebody. They were guessing it to be Gaara she was trying not to startle, but it was worrying that she was so lost in her own delusions. It felt more like she was trapped in genjutsu, Sasuke thought numbly. The only reason why he knew it wasn't, was due to the jerky motions of her trembling body and the obvious strain in her sentences, like she was struggling to form them. "I know, I know… And… I-'m sorry! Just calm down, okay? Deep breaths. Shukaku doesn't control you anymore. You're your own person." Sakura suddenly smiled and shook her head, holding out her hand at absolutely nothing. "It's okay. It doesn't even hurt now. Look, I'll heal it." He noticed immediately that Itachi's sharingan activated, making sure she didn't harm herself as she raised her hand to the crook of her neck, a soft green glow filling the room, healing nothing. "See? I'm okay. You're okay." Her arms opened up, as though she was welcoming somebody into an embrace and those thoughts were only confirmed when her arms seemed to wrap around somebody, although to them, she was holding nothing but thin air. "We're okay."

Sakura nodded, her eyes closing and a softer smile on her lips. "Stop apologising! I'm starting to think somebody is using a henge and pretending to be you." She paused and bit her lip, seeming to listen to him, or the memory of him, for a moment and Sasuke swallowed at the intensity of it all, because surely, that wasn't normal? Were delusions supposed to be so potent? So believable? "It's not too surprising, Gaara. It's instinctual. I read about it somewhere. Males sometimes bite down on their mates, keeping them in place when they reach or–"

"I don't want to hear this," Sasuke muttered over her words so that she couldn't be heard.

Itachi could only nod in agreement.

It was silent for a few moments, leading him to believe she'd fallen asleep once more while sat up, but then she resumed her conversation with a tired giggle broken up by her pants for breath.

"Stop worrying!" She grabbed an imaginary hand, lifting it to her neck. It utterly stunned the two Uchiha brothers, because for her to give so much trust to Gaara… It was astonishing. The neck, to many shinobi, was considered the most vulnerable part of their body (unless they were Naruto or Kiba because then their groin was your most vulnerable part). "I trust you, Gaara." Another pause and this time, Sakura tilted her head to the side and pulled back a little, seeming to stare into what they presumed as Gaara's eyes, despite her own being unfocused and heavy with exhaustion, voice almost lost to a whisper now as she began to lose the fight to remain conscious. "I forgave you for that a long time ago." She smiled softly and raised her hand again, holding it in mid air (Sasuke was guessing she was cupping his cheek - it was a habit of hers, as she believed it helped maintain focus). He had to strain to listen to the rest of her jumbled words, almost scowling over at her slumping form. "You're different now, Gaara. When you hurt me back then… You could have killed me immediately and be done with it, could have completely enraged my teammates and therefore given yourself the upper hand since they'd be blinded by their anger, but you didn't. You've changed. And you keep changing! You keep proving those who doubted you, wrong."

Sasuke glanced over at Itachi once he was certain he had it all, his brows furrowing. "Now do you see what I mean by her need to fix broken people?"

He nodded. "…Yes."

But this time, it seemed Sakura was the one who was broken. Perhaps she had gone to him in hopes of him fixing her? Sasuke frowned in wonder.

For the longest time, he assumed she was finished and nothing more would be said. It appeared Itachi had too, for her stood and was about to lay her down more comfortably when she resumed with renewed energy. How long were the delusions supposed to last? Didn't that mean her body was reaching dangerous temperatures for her to be seeing and hearing things? Were they supposed to do something for her? _What_ could they do for her?

"If you fall asleep, we'll just–" She cut herself off, her eyebrows knitting together. "Gaara, listen to me. Please. _Please_?" Apparently he had moved, because Sakura was suddenly kneeling up on the bed, her hands lifting into the air again. Sasuke had moved when she did, hovering in his own bed as he watched her swaying precariously. Just one wrong move and she'd be off the bed. "I know the risks. I know the risks and I'm willing to take that chance. No, just… _listen to me_! Shukaku doesn't control you. He's staying in _your_ body. Your seal has been strengthened because of the council's uncertainty." There was yet another pause, though this one didn't last half as long as the others. "Look at me," she spoke softly. "If it eases your mind any, Tsunade-shishou taught me–" Her smile faded into a grimace and Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek. "Do you really have to talk about blood and gore right now? It's kind of washing away the bliss I was feeling!" She sighed. "If I allow my chakra to be released, if I use a certain jutsu Shishou can use, then I can't die in battle. Shukaku can rip me to shreds, he can swallow me whole! But I won't die." Her hand lifted and was once again seeming to cup Gaara's cheek. "Just relax and stop worrying so much! For somebody who has such a blank expression, you sure do feel a hell of a lot stronger emotions than anybody else I know." She let out a soft sounding laugh, her face brightening. "Okay, maybe not Naruto or Lee-san, but you're still kind of emotional underneath all of this cold exterior."

Her smile warmed. "You're not going to lose me. Even if this, what we are, doesn't work out, we'll still be friends. I mean, look at me and Naruto, or me and Sasuke-kun! No, no. Nothing happened between me and Naruto – he wishes! He just used to have a crush on me, remember? Always exclaiming his love for me in the most dramatic ways." She smiled again, though sadly this time, glancing down at her thighs as she folded her legs beneath her and sat down. "That's… kind of messy. Sasuke-kun and I… We…" She grimaced, glancing up at her imaginary ex-lover from beneath her lashes and pouting, though it was soon stopped when she stretched and yawned. "I'm not that tired." Sakura smiled. "Seriously, Gaara. I don't mind staying awake and talking to you all night. You're a good listener." She smirked, a blush sweeping over her cheeks. "…and a good distraction, yes."

How long would it go on for? Sasuke glanced in his brother's direction, refraining from scowling since it was such a private moment in Sakura's life that she perhaps wasn't ready for him to see. He was tempted to say fuck it and quiet her mind with a genjutsu, but being in the pitiful state he was in wouldn't help her much - she would easily take control once more, or her tormented mind would lead them both down a darker path, leading to part of him wondering if they were memories she was reliving, or delusions her mind worked up in her moment of weakness.

Once more, there was the confirmation of his brother feeling something for her, for he couldn't tear his gaze away from her impish smirk and even when mixed with the sweat and blatant exhaustion, the sultry expression obviously had an effect on him.

…Thought, not in the way he'd presumed, Sasuke realised after a moment, startled to say the least as he recognised the faintest of twitches in his features. The confusion that mixed with that emotion only made him more certain of what he was seeing, too.

Warily, Itachi stepped forward and eased her back into bed, the pair of them attempting to ignore her giggle as she raised her arms for what seemed like a lover's embrace.

The way he stepped back, the way his jaw clenched, eyebrows mashing together, told Sasuke all he needed to know.

He was jealous.

* * *

Was she dying?

Everything hurt, to the point where she could barely even sit up and while the logical side of her mind tried to warn her she was hallucinating from a mixture of the pain and the high temperature, Sakura couldn't connect the dots. All she knew was that the faces of those she'd disappointed or failed were hovering around her bed, glaring down at her, demanding that she faced her past.

Was that what sleep paralysis felt like? Feeling such an unbearable weight threatening to snuff the life out of her but being unable to do anything about it? All she could do was stare at them and release pitiful cries to be freed of their spell.

Where was her team? The medics? Itachi? Why had they left her to fend for herself against such unmovable forces when so blatantly weakened the way she was? Her already unsteady breathing came in pants and Sakura worried that one wrong movement on her part would cause them to jump her. She tried her hardest not to focus on one face for too long, for she'd fallen for that mistake twice already and by doing so, seemingly got trapped in the past as she relived some of her greatest failures. She tried to make different choices, tried to convey how truly sorry she was, but it was like the Gods just wanted to watch her suffer because _nothing changed_. She still had to lose that person all over again, whether it be a precious bond or the person themselves.

So, she completely avoided looking at the face of the little girl kneeling at the foot of the bed, her blood soaking the sheets far worse than Sakura's sweat ever could. In her peripheral, however, she saw her leaning forward, the blood dripping from her chin and splashing on Sakura's covered legs. A chill swept over her body, but she couldn't tell if it was the fever or not. It could have been Aiko's persistent, hateful glare washing over her.

"I-I'm sorry," she tried to tell them all, squeezing her eyes shut to avoid looking at them. "I'm sorry."

* * *

Thankfully, Sakura seemed to slip back into unconsciousness before her time with Gaara could go any further.

Due to her restlessness and tossing and turning, neither he nor Sasuke could sleep, their minds too focused on her whimpering of incoherent words and gasps. If they hadn't known any better, they could have sworn she was having a dirty dream, but the pain in her expression and the words they picked out said different. She was suffering.

It aggravated him that there was nothing he could do for her.

The cabin was dimly lit by only two candles, the rest being blown out to help Naruto settle into a deeper sleep. The longer he slept, the better for them, for he was too easily wound up and had he heard Sakura's previous conversation with Gaara, then… Then what? Itachi was unable to answer such a question. There were too many potential outcomes.

Despite the circumstances, he enjoyed spending the past few hours with Sasuke in quiet conversation, for he couldn't recall the last time they'd spoken so much and to witness how much trust his brother had in him as he shared such private topics had a lightness entering his chest. The weight that had been slowly crushing Itachi eased somewhat as he found that, despite the distance that had grown between them over the past couple of years, Sasuke still felt comfortable coming to him for help, albeit asking for it secretly and discreetly, in his own roundabout way.

At one point they had even discussed what they should get for their mother's fast approaching birthday, although Sasuke hadn't been pleased when Itachi murmured about possibly still being at the border. In fact he had snapped at him, demanding that he at least returned for the day just to see her. According to his brother, Mikoto missed him a lot and he knew that because sometimes, he would find their mother sighing and staring down at Itachi's place at the table with sadness. Hearing that unsettled him greatly, for the last thing he wanted was for his mother to suffer.

"Being Naruto's – the Kyuubi's – watcher is difficult," Sasuke told his brother when Itachi asked how he was handling it. "Tsunade had me taught sealing jutsu, but they can't teach you how to handle it when you're actually facing the Kyuubi, when it begins to take over Naruto." Itachi nodded, understanding just what Sasuke was saying. "The first time, the entire team almost died because I couldn't get Naruto to meet my eyes. But since then we've been working on that. Now I don't need to meet his eyes to enter his mind with my sharingan. Well, not straight away. I cast a genjutsu and once he's unable to move, I force him to meet my eyes."

Itachi frowned. That sounded too easy. "The Kyuubi is so easily captured?"

"No." He shook his head, his own frown forming. "I have five seconds to make his eyes meet my sharingan before he breaks out of it. I'm no Shisui when it comes to genjutsu and I don't have the mangekyō, so I can't use _Tsukuyomi_ like you can."

He was too hard on himself. "To be able to paralyse the Kyuubi, even if it is for only five seconds, is something many others can never achieve. Even our own father cannot do such a thing. If Shisui and myself are not there, it would take at least ten of our most powerful clansmen to be able to subdue the Kyuubi – and even then, it is only for half a minute at most."

Sasuke's eyes widened, his lips parting in surprise.

Itachi gave him a small smile, a proud one. "It seems you have surpassed our father in many ways, Sasuke."

"Wouldn't it be because of my bond with Naruto?" he asked, frowning to himself.

Ah. Was he trying to make excuses? Trying to find holes in his thoughts? Was the thought of surpassing their father truly that unbelievable to him?

"I'm sure that has a part to play, but only with your capability of entering Naruto-kun's mind and forcing the Kyuubi back, allowing Naruto-kun to regain control." Itachi sat back in his seat, stretching his legs out in front of him and crossing one ankle over the other. "Trapping the Kyuubi in a paralysing genjutsu, however, is all you. It has nothing to do with your bond with Naruto-kun."

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura suddenly shot up in bed, hand clutching her chest and breathing ragged.

Both Uchiha tensed at the pure terror in her voice and Naruto also woke up, sitting up and staring around him with wide eyes, trying to find out why Sakura was crying out.

"What?" he grunted.

Hearing his voice made her relax, a sob of happiness tearing from her and she covered her face with her hands. "I thought you'd left."

It was with her four words that Itachi suddenly went back in time to the night when his brother had attempted to leave Konoha in the search for more power. To that day, he wondered how Sakura had known what Sasuke was planning, for she'd met him at the gates before he'd even reached them, trying her hardest to make him stay with words alone, since she knew she was not strong enough to fight him. She'd even confessed her feelings to him and promised to do anything to make him happy, if Itachi was recalling it correctly. The result of her raw confession? Sasuke callously knocked her unconscious and was in the process of placing her on the bench, though fortunately, he and Shisui had made it in time and were prepared to stop him (it was thanks to Sakura that they had made it before any fights were started, before Sasuke had even stepped out of Konoha and was labelled as a deserter).

Sometimes, he wondered if his younger brother felt bad about doing such a cruel thing to Sakura. If the look on his face at that moment in time meant anything, he did. Sasuke looked horrified and pained.

"…I thought you left me too."

Sasuke closed his eyes, a pitiful attempt of trying his best not to hear the raw pain in his friend's voice.

"Everybody leaves," she whispered quietly into her hands. "First Naruto, then Kakashi-sensei… Gaara. A-Aiko-chan…" Sakura began sobbing, the sound of her suffering causing an ache in his chest. " _Aiko-chan!"_

"Sakura," Itachi murmured quietly, gently cradling the back of her head as he lowered her onto her back. "Try to relax."

"I broke my promise to her," Sakura cried, holding onto him tightly. "My ninja way…"

"Is to protect your precious people," Naruto mumbled, his teeth clenching as he glared down at the ground.

Her eyes were almost desperate as she clung onto Itachi, staring up at him with wide eyes. "She… She's…"

It seemed she was actually awake now as she focused on him properly for the first time that night, though was obviously vulnerable. Unlike the previous times when she had 'woken up', Sakura was now focused on the present. But it seemed that right there, right then, she was emotionally vulnerable. He wondered what she'd been forced to face in her hallucinations.

It stunned him immensely when he sensed his brother leaving his bed with a careless toss of his covers, climbing into Sakura's without a word. The back of his neck burned bright when he pried her fingers from Itachi's shirt, refusing to look his way as he instead waited her out, waiting for just a brief moment before Sakura was lunging at him and clinging to Sasuke tightly. The sound of his breath leaving him in a wheeze as she wrapped her arms around him surprised Itachi further and he felt certain that his brother would demand her to get a hold of herself or something equally as callous, but he made no move to intervene for he recalled Sasuke's previous words.

He was her safety.

And in that moment, she needed him.

* * *

"Ease up, Sakura," he grumbled, his cheeks burning when he felt the disbelieving stare coming from Naruto as well as Itachi's eyes on him. Sasuke refused to meet either of their eyes. Like he had told his brother not too long ago, he was Sakura's safety – who she felt safest with. He was the only one who stayed. Sure, Sasuke had almost left once before, but he hadn't. That was the point. He hadn't left. "You're going to break my ribs."

Her hold loosened, though not by much. The feeling of her shaking as he slowly wrapped one arm around her sweaty form pained him. Again, like he had told Itachi not too long ago, he felt Sakura's pain like it was his own, just like she felt his.

And he'd known all along that that child would destroy her.

She was breaking and he had no idea what to do to help her.

"She's gone, Sasuke-kun," she cried, her hands fisting in the back of his shirt so harshly that he could have sworn he heard it tear. "I broke my promise. I couldn't protect her! She's just…" Suddenly, Sakura tensed and pulled back slightly, looking up at him with wide eyes. "Aiko-chan's… She's not… still there, is she?"

It was Itachi who replied, saying softly, "No, Sakura. Before I left to take you to the medic-nin here, I asked Shisui to bury Aiko-chan in the field you were both picking flowers in today."

A small smile came to her lips at that, her eyes moving over Sasuke's shoulder and locking with Naruto's. "She liked it there, didn't she?" Naruto nodded quickly, giving her a pained smile. Sighing, Sakura let go of Sasuke, taking a deep breath to try and keep herself calm. "I… I need to go and see her."

Sasuke refused to let go of her. Was she still delirious? "You can't go right now, Sakura."

"Why not?"

At her demand, he narrowed his eyes, giving her a no-nonsense look. She knew better than to defy him when he gave her such a look and he prayed it worked then, too. "You were poisoned and suffered from severe injuries. Do you know how lucky you are that you can even feel your legs right now?"

Would she listen to him?

* * *

Itachi spoke up upon seemingly sensing her building anxiety, his voice calm and smooth as he explained, "There was damage to your spine, but the medic-nin healed you as well as extracted the poison."

Damage to the spine was almost always irreparable, so just to be sure, Sakura summoned her healing chakra and closed her eyes, focusing on sending it throughout her entire body. By the looks of things, most of her injuries had been healed and she certainly felt better than what she had before passing out earlier that day. There were still a few traces of her fever, but a quick once over with her healing chakra flooded it out of her system (while it was often better to let things heal naturally at times, she didn't want to go back to that hellhole). She would simply have to take a shower, since she smelled rather awful. Blood and sweat. How attractive. Well, at least Sasuke hadn't mentioned anything about it this time.

Like Itachi had told her, the other medic-nin had healed her spine. The damage hadn't been too serious, although it would have been enough to cause her severe pain if she had not been healed – perhaps even end her career as a shinobi if she took another hit to it while left untreated. Again, just to be sure, she went over it a few times, mending any leftover damage the medic-nin had missed. She couldn't risk it, couldn't risk losing her dream of being a powerful kunoichi. It had taken so much hard work to get to where she was right now.

Pastel pink eyebrows knitted together when Sakura reached her stomach in her examination. Like with her spine, she was lucky none of her organs had been too badly damaged. The medic-nin were clearly highly skilled and talented, but they would have needed skills like Tsunade's if her injuries had been five percent more damaging. Raising her hand, Sakura pressed it against her flat stomach and numbed the ache there.

"You okay, Sakura-chan?"

It surprised her that Naruto was staying on his bed instead of approaching her. Normally he would have been the first one she saw when waking up.

She also hated that question. She hated it when people asked her if she was okay. Why? Because nobody was ever one hundred percent okay. And half of the time, the person who was asking the question genuinely didn't care. They were simply asking it to be polite. Sakura knew that Naruto really did care, but how was she supposed to answer? The truth was, was that no. No, she was not okay. She understood that she didn't know Aiko that well. She knew that it was rather dramatic of her to be so… so utterly gutted and broken up about her death. However, that didn't change the fact that she was. Sakura had wanted so badly to help her, to give her a better life.

"I'll be fine after I take a shower." Naruto's mouth opened to argue, whereas Sasuke watched her with a barely hidden disapproving stare. Her eyes narrowed. " _Alone_."

"But what if you faint, Sakura-chan?" the blond demanded, not at all liking the thought of his best friend and teammate collapsing while in the shower. She knew he would be asking himself who knows how long it would take for somebody to find her? However, she knew that with him and Sasuke being so concerned about her, there was no doubt that they would get any sleep until she had returned to their cabin and was safely sleeping in her bed. "Or get sick?"

"Sakura is a medic, Naruto-kun," Itachi argued quietly, however there was a firm edge to his voice, one that had Sasuke sighing by her side. "She is aware of her own limits and knows when to call for help."

Seeing that he still wasn't planning on letting her go, she sighed. "Please, Naruto. I need some time alone to… to think about everything. I need some privacy."

His blond eyebrows mashed together and she knew it was because _he_ knew she meant time alone to grieve and the thought of her crying to herself in the shower was another thing he couldn't stand. It was his natural reaction, she believed. If she was in pain, he wanted to try and take that pain away. But she also knew from the reluctant set of his jaw that he understood she was right. She was grieving and needed some time alone to try and process everything that had happened in the past day or so.

"You'll definitely call for us if you need help, won't you?" he asked her, though when he saw her growing annoyed, Naruto put on a smirk and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "I can help you wash–"

"Shut up, you idiot."

But much to his evident happiness, Sakura was smiling, albeit it was a small and reluctant one. It was still a smile though.

* * *

"You don't have to walk me to the showers."

He spared her a single glance before resuming to look ahead of himself, assessing the night sky that seemed devoid of stars or even the moon, though the rational side of Itachi understood that that was merely due to the branches and leaves attempting to cover the clearing. All but two (five, including himself, Sakura and the waiting Sasuke back at the cabin) were still awake, the rest exhausted from their battles and while he believed Neji and Tenzo no doubt felt the same way, they were both sat at the campfire diligently, keeping watch for a few hours. Fortunately for them, Sai, Izumo and Kotetsu would be taking over in two hours' time, if he was not mistaken, so they would be capable of gaining a few hours of rest. It was supposed to have been Itachi's shift that night, but Shisui had found him not too long ago, informing him that Neji offered to take his place just for that night, as long as Itachi took his shift tomorrow night.

"I am headed in that direction," he told her quietly and when she looked at him questioningly, Itachi gave her a small smile. "My cabin."

There was no use in reprimanding her for forgetting the layout of the campsite - it would be cold of him to do so, given the fact she'd been unconscious and hallucinating up until twenty minutes ago, if that. Of course her brain was going to let some information slide, although Itachi hoped it would catch up soon. The thought of Sakura wandering the campsite and lost in her thoughts was unpleasant to him.

Just as he prepared to wish her goodnight and turn away to his cabin, Sakura quickly caught his sleeve and he turned to face her, silently questioning her actions.

"Thank you," she told him earnestly. "For looking after me. A-And for what you did. For Aiko-chan."

Ah. Those crushing emotions were leaking through the damn she'd put in place after parting from Sasuke's surprising embrace. He could feel it in the way her hand tightened its hold on his sleeve, from the dimpling of her chin and glassiness of her eyes, that that damn was about to burst.

"Of course," he told her. "I like to think of you as a friend and I am protective of my friends, Sakura. Take care of yourself."

Oh, Itachi could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn't planning on returning to Team Seven's cabin. No, she was going to go to Aiko's grave for who knows how long. He simply hoped she would not turn into her former-sensei, despite their previous jokes about her doing so. Hatake Kakashi had wasted so much time and so much of his life standing in front of the cenotaph for the Konoha-nin who were killed in action. It would be a shame to watch a kunoichi such as Sakura do the same and he knew that, had Kakashi been there, he would be saying the same thing.

Sakura nodded, quickly releasing him and heading to the empty showers, her bag of clean clothing being clutched tightly to her chest. And instead of going to his cabin like he told her he would, Itachi turned back around and headed over to Neji and Tenzo, asking them to make sure nobody walked in on Sakura while she was showering. It seemed Tenzo understood the message clearly since he had been the team's temporary captain and understood that it wasn't only her body he wished to protect from others' view, but also her emotions. She needed privacy to let go.

* * *

It was languidly that his eyes opened upon sensing a presence outside of the cabin, long before said person managed to gather the courage to quietly opening the door, shutting it behind themselves.

He didn't need to look to know who it was, as the person's chakra had become familiar to him now and Itachi was certain he could pick it out in a busy crowd. It was with great ease that he could distinguish it from the others in the campsite, also.

Despite those thoughts, he was still surprised when Sakura gently pulled back the covers of his bed and eased herself into the space beside him, but what stunned him further was how she curled up against him like nothing out of the ordinary was happening, how she closed her eyes and realised a soft sounding sigh.

What was she thinking? What was he thinking? Of course something unusual would happen. Her merely approaching the cabin at such an hour was strange! More importantly: what was Shisui thinking? He was laying only a few feet away from them and while he gave no inclination of being awake, he knew without a doubt that he would've been roused by her entering the cabin. Shisui was a great shinobi and would have woken up the second he felt movement near their cabin, just like Itachi had.

"Sakura–"

"Don't," she whispered quietly, pressing her face into his neck. "Just… Hold me."

It was at the faint tremble of her cold hands that Sasuke's words came to the front of his mind:

_"Sometimes, she just needs somebody to be there for her._ _Either it's to listen to her, or to hold her. It's almost subconsciously that she does it, too. Sakura goes to the place she feels safest."_

But why would Sakura suddenly feel safest with him? Yes, they had been talking a lot recently and were definitely getting to know one another better, but it felt different somehow. Was it because he had taken care of her while she was recovering from the poison? But then, what about Sasuke? He was also there and what's more, he was her safety. Not Itachi.

_"If you have her trust, she'll come to you, like a wounded, scared animal – or a child seeking comfort. Even though Sakura tries to act tough, she just… needs somebody to be there for her, to hold her. Don't tell her that everything is going to be okay, because she'll know you're lying and she'll close herself off. Just… make it known to her that she doesn't have to face whatever it is that's going on alone. That's all Sakura needs."_

It had stunned him to say the least, hearing such words coming from Sasuke, but Itachi had not questioned his brother. Everyone was aware of how close the two were and how they knew everything about one another. Itachi had asked his brother about that bond and that was what Sasuke had replied with.

He attempted to hide the hesitance in his movements as he turned to his side and faced her, though that battle disappeared from existence entirely after witnessing the raw grief in her red-rimmed, bloodshot eyes, after he saw exactly what Sasuke had been telling him about. And it was then that his movements grew in certainty, allowing him to adjust the sheet covering them bodies and offering a faint smile of acceptance - one that was returned gratefully, leading Sakura to move impossibly closer. He hid his flinch in response to the coldness of her touch on his skin, instead releasing a sigh as he wrapped his arms around her, telling himself that it was merely to warm her up even as the distance between their bodies grew unbearably nonexistent, her face once more pressing into his neck.

It was definitely not something he was used to, holding somebody while attempting to sleep or actually sleeping. But he could understand why Sakura needed it sometimes. It was comforting, in an odd, unfamiliar way.

Only minutes later and she was sleeping peacefully in his arms, stunning Itachi with how easy it was for her to fall asleep. It would take him a while to, he knew that without even having to think about it. To fall asleep around another shinobi was giving that person your full trust. How she could give hers away so easily was beyond him.

Seemingly hearing his thoughts, the third occupant of his cabin spoke up quietly, saying, "She must trust you a lot. To come here like this, I mean."

"…I know."

"I wonder why she didn't go to Sasuke or Naruto-kun?"

Itachi had no idea why. She shared a cabin with her team, after all. It would have been easier for her to simply get up and walk over to one of their beds instead of walking across the camp just to sleep in Itachi's. Then again… "She's cold," he murmured quietly, making an effort to keep his voice low. "As though she's been outside for a while."

It suddenly clicked in his mind that up until that moment, Sakura had been at Aiko's grave. And while it was difficult keeping track of the time when first wakening, he believed it to have been a minimum of three hours since they'd parted ways.

There was a short pause. "Oi, Itachi?" He got a hum as a response. "Sakura-san's…" Shisui sighed and leaned up onto his elbows, glancing over at the two on Itachi's bed. "She's lonely." Itachi nodded. He had already noticed that. "When she heals my eyes, she talks to me. I'm not going to betray her trust by telling you what she has told me but I know that Sakura-san is lonely. And… I think it is nice of you to do this for her."

_Sakura has a habit of trying to fix broken people_.

That was what Sasuke had told him.

But now, it was Sakura's turn to be fixed and Itachi was determined to help her.


	17. Habits

**Chapter 16**

**Habits**

* * *

Whether she knew or not, many were keeping a close eye on Haruno Sakura. Even those who didn't seem like the type to care were doing so.

He leaned back against his perch high in the tree, arm slung over his bent knee and chakra still expertly concealed - the latter granting him the opportunity to watch the object of his most recent worries without her being aware of his presence.

Five weeks had passed since the attack that ended in the tragic death of the child under Sakura's care, meaning it had also been five weeks since Sakura began sneaking into his cabin at night and sleeping in his arms. No words were ever exchanged regarding the sudden shift in their dynamics and every morning, Itachi was awoken by the shift in the bed that told him she was leaving. He knew not to take it personally, however, for he understood her reasoning perfectly. Should anyone discover their sleeping habits, rumours would start or worse, it would cause her team to worry about her more than what they already were, though Itachi was certain Sasuke was catching on. It really was surprising how observant his little brother was becoming as of late.

Yes, rumours would only disturb the careful growth that was sprouting between them and he knew that, should it be tampered with by even the slightest amount, Sakura would retreat back to her shell, which could not, under any circumstances, happen. It had taken three weeks, perhaps a few days extra, to ease her into opening up to him and still, it was never anything too great or personal. Merely little aspects of her life that he didn't already know, or quirks that made up her personality. And as it was only fair to reciprocate her openness, Itachi also shared parts of his past with her, though again, nothing too personal.

That only happened during the nights when Shisui was on watch, however. With him in the room, even when he was asleep, Sakura was uncomfortable opening up. Itachi wondered if she even knew Shisui was aware of her staying there, considering she was always near silent when he was in.

As for when he was supposed to be on watch, she joined him by the campfire, taking over for whoever was meant to work with him that night (that was something the rest _had_ noticed, although they never questioned it and without a fuss, she was automatically put down to accompany him for each of his watches). Then, they would go back to his cabin with her disappearing to the forest for a few hours beforehand to lessen the risk of them being seen together.

Part of Itachi was growing increasingly annoyed with himself, despite his liking of their growing proximity. Had it been any other kunoichi, had it been someone he wasn't getting to know on a deeper, more meaningful level, one he didn't particularly care for (whether they stayed or not), he would have contacted the Hokage by now. There was no use in lying to himself, was there? If it had been anyone else, then Itachi knew he would have ordered them to return to the village without hesitation, because weaknesses, emotions and sentimentality were a great risk at the border and had the potential to lead to the deaths of his comrades. Had it been Tenten, for example, he would have sent her back to Konoha without thinking twice about it.

So why Sakura? Why was he unable to act normally around her? He had been asking himself that for the better part of the past five weeks.

Irritatingly, at one point, he'd even been approached by the captain who'd replaced Toshi after the groping incident, the man more or less demanding to know why he was allowing Haruno Sakura to stay. The new captain, Hiro, was also ANBU and since his arrival, the team Toshi had been leading were no longer slacking or constantly whining about tension and frustration. He was a good leader, there was no denying that, but Itachi disliked having his authority, his judgement, questioned. Base camp four was _his_ camp. Not Hiro's. If he wanted Sakura and her team to stay, despite how childish it seemed, then they were going to stay.

When the man tried his luck with continuing to argue her staying, Itachi had silenced him with the simple fact that Shisui's eyes were still in need of healing, as were his own. They needed Sakura to stay, whether he liked it or not - hence the reason why their Hokage hadn't demanded that her apprentice returned in the first place. Realistically speaking, she could have sent Shizune to take over, but she understood that it was an important mission to Sakura. She was certain her apprentice could handle it. And he trusted his Hokage's judgement.

It was safe to say that he and Hiro were not on good terms – not that they had been in the first place. It wasn't much of a loss, in Itachi's eyes.

At that moment in time, he was silently watching as Sakura sat outside of her cabin, seemingly meditating. She'd been still for over an hour now and he commended her ability to meditate in such a busy area with a mind that was burdened as heavily as her own. Many shied away from the mere notion of meditation when in her place, for fear of falling into unpleasant memories or being harassed by their inner-demons.

On the nights where they were not on watch together (or sometimes after their watch was completed), Sakura visited Aiko's grave alone and remained there for several hours at a time, although said time varied depending on her mental well-being that day. Some nights, he'd found that he had to send a crow to convince Sakura to return to the campsite, or merely bring her out of her dark thoughts to alert her of the time. It only went to show how smart of a girl she was, for the first time he sent one to her, she hadn't questioned it and immediately knew what the crow's presence meant, soon going on to say her goodbyes and promises to return to Aiko.

That was another concern for those at the camp.

It appeared Sakura was not letting go - almost as though she couldn't.

A few times now, Itachi had no other option but to wake due to intense nightmares that left her thrashing wildly in his bed and choking on the child's name and desperate apologies. Once, he'd even had to restrain her with his whole weight _and_ chakra enhanced strength, as she'd fought valiantly to be freed. The nights that were plagued by her nightmares were the worst for Sakura and try as she might to hold back those intense emotions, to stop her tears, the control would shatter within minutes and leave her wailing in his arms, begging for Aiko's forgiveness like she was actually in the room or capable of hearing her.

He was grateful for Shisui's kindness, for not once had he mentioned or complained about the breakdowns, despite the fact she'd definitely woken him on several occasions. Her presence in their cabin as a whole had made sleeping difficult for his friend, he believed, although Itachi would not lie and say that he was any different.

In fact, it had taken him roughly two weeks to grow used to sharing a bed with another. No, it wasn't that they shared a bed, because he could handle that. It was that Sakura preferred to sleep in his arms, sometimes with their limbs entangled in a way he was sure was classed as intimate - completely different to anything he'd ever experienced before, as the only other time he'd shared a bed was many years ago, back when Sasuke was a child (possibly three or four years old) and afraid of the dark. For a while, he would sneak into his room and curl up beside him, seeking comfort until their father found out and forced Sasuke to get over his fear.

He wondered if it was how close they were becoming that made it hard for him to get used to it? More often than not, when they were opening up even about the most mundane things, it felt so undeniably intimate.

Itachi would be lying if he said he was unaffected by it.

When they spoke, it was usually while laying in bed with their faces only inches apart, allowing him to see every detail in the open expressions she made. And it was in those moments that he became painfully aware of how similar he regrettably was to the other men, because his mind would be bombarded with selfish thoughts of making a move on the attractive woman in his bed. He fiercely stomped them back, refusing to take advantage of Sakura while she was so vulnerable, all the while telling himself that if anything did develop between them, then it would happen in its own time and when Sakura was feeling more like herself, though he wondered when that would happen or whether he would even be able to tell if it did.

Despite disliking to admit to it, everything that was happening was completely new to Itachi and he had no idea how to handle himself, or what he was supposed to do when those strangely charged moments sparked between them. Was he doing the right thing by ignoring those moments? Yes, Itachi decided after a moment. He was. Especially since he wasn't sure how to explain what he felt for Sakura. Oh, there was definitely a connection between them - a strong one - but he couldn't put his finger on _what_ it was or what it meant. And it certainly didn't help matters that the bond between Sakura and Sasuke _continued_ to confuse him. Yes, Sasuke had already explained part of their bond to him, but he found that hearing about it and witnessing the friendship between the two difficult to comprehend. It appeared much deeper than their words let on.

To put it bluntly, their bond fascinated him.

Never before had Itachi _ever_ seen Sasuke interact with anyone the way he would with Sakura, and it was during those tender moments that he saw them together, that he couldn't even blame the villagers and their clansmen for assuming they were romantically involved. Many times, Sasuke would push aside his pride to care for her, or she would drop everything to ensure he was okay. When had his little brother turned into that kind of man? It disheartened and annoyed Itachi that he couldn't answer that question, that he was missing information and couldn't piece it all together. His brother acted so out of character around Sakura that even Naruto was often surprised.

His brother was fortunate to be placed on such a formidable team like theirs, where they constantly defied the odds and always supported one another. He himself hadn't had much experience on a genin team, having graduated the academy early and being pushed into the chūnin exams less than a year later. What little time he spent with that team had been mystifyingly fresh though otherwise meant nothing to him. Not in the way Team Seven meant to Sasuke, anyway. Itachi merely kept his temporary team alive in order to pass the chūnin exams and upon reaching the final stages, they were on their own, as was he.

Tilting his head to the side when he sensed a change, Itachi watched as Sakura slowly came out of her meditation, eyes opening and glancing around herself with an almost empty expression, leading him to wonder when the last time Sakura had truly smiled was. He didn't mean the small, reluctant ones she often gave to assure their comrades when they tried to cheer her up, or the fake ones she gave whenever she felt the need to assure them all she was okay. He meant the bright one, the one that would light up her eyes, that would make her look so very beaut-

"You have been watching Sakura-san a lot recently."

If he hadn't been who he was, Itachi would have jumped at the sudden interruption of his thoughts, though settled for merely sighing in exasperation. Shisui was the only person who could successfully sneak up on him and while he liked to believe he'd been growing more attuned to his friend's chakra and presence, his watching Sakura's every move hadn't helped his case. "I have."

There was a weighted sigh from the older Uchiha as he sat beside him on the branch, giving away their position without a care. Until that moment, he'd been hidden behind the leaves and other branches while leaning against the trunk, concealing himself by blending into the scenery with the aid of his uniform. Now, if somebody was to look up, they would spot Shisui instantly and upon closer inspection, himself.

"Any particular reason?" Shisui asked, following Itachi's line of sight. He did not answer, eyes narrowing a fraction as his whole attention was seized by the look that entered Sakura's eyes. "She is doubting herself."

And had been for a while now. It was something that could eventually be fatal in their profession. "Yes."

"She shouldn't." He sighed, watching the way she lowered her eyes to the ground, her eyebrows knitting together. Paired with the down turning of her lips, it was apparent that she was fighting to remain in control of her emotions. "Unfortunately, this is what being–"

"Aiko-chan was an innocent child," Itachi cut him off, already knowing what he was about to say. He'd heard the tired words repeatedly since her death. "Sakura has every right to be upset."

There was no surprise from his friend regarding the firmness of his voice or the way he'd rudely cut him off. No, if anyone was going to understand the bond between himself and Sakura, along with his sudden protectiveness of her, then it was Shisui, without a doubt. As previously stated, he would be woken by Sakura's nightmares and breakdowns, so would always hear his comforting her (whether that be through movements, gestures or words). He knew how close they were getting.

"Yes, but as shinobi, we are surrounded by death."

"Sasuke told me that he saw part of Sakura in Aiko-chan."

"Is that why it has hit her so hard?"

Itachi sighed. "I don't know."

Shisui was silent for a few moments until he asked, "What made you let her in?"

He was still watching her as Sakura stood up and dusted down her standard issue uniform. In Itachi's eyes, it was strange how she preferred formfitting clothing (due to the unwanted attention she had and continued to receive), although when he truly thought about it, it kind of made sense. Personally, Itachi preferred his ANBU uniform to the standard jōnin one for more or less the same reason. It wasn't as easy to grab hold of.

"I did not," he murmured after a moment.

And he hadn't. Sakura had smashed her way into his life with those monstrously powerful fists of hers. She forced him to let her in. Not all of his defences and walls were knocked down, of course, but they were crumbling. Itachi could feel them beginning to crack and crumble every second he was with her. One after another. All those walls he had put up while growing up… She was tearing through them all like it was nothing, when not even Sasuke had been able to do such a thing. Was Sakura even aware of what she was doing? Of how she was sliding into his life and settling down like she was _supposed_ to be there?

Itachi had never felt connected to anyone like the way he connected with her. No, he wasn't naïve or childish and he knew that the feeling wasn't love. At least, not yet it wasn't. It was more than capable of growing into love, though. Itachi could tell already.

She always managed to surprise him. There wasn't a single person who could act unpredictably in his eyes… except for her. How was that even possible?

"I was in love with Kurenai-san."

Okay, perhaps he had been wrong. Itachi's eyes finally left Sakura's body as she disappeared into her cabin and moved over to Shisui, widened slightly in shock. " _Kurenai-san_? But you have never spoken to her before."

Shisui smiled and shrugged. "That may be so, but the heart wants what it wants." Itachi sat up straighter, knowing that his friend was about to offer him advice, even if it didn't entirely seem like it. Often, he would compare situations in order to understand what was happening a little better and honestly, he appreciated that, because it helped make Itachi feel less alone in his confusing, often times conflicting, emotions. "I don't know when or how it began. One day, I saw her training. Genjutsu, to be exact. She was flawless in the way she managed to trap Kakashi-san and Asuma-san and since then, I… gravitated towards her. I enjoyed watching her train and learning more about her. In a way, I guess it could pass as stalking, but… What she doesn't know won't hurt her." He smiled to himself with a shake of his head. "I didn't know how to approach her. She was so unpredictable to me. In each of her training sessions, she always did something that surprised me."

Like Sakura was unpredictable to him. It seemed Shisui had picked up on that fact and was trying to show him it was normal, in a sense.

"How do you know you were in love?"

He glanced at the younger Uchiha, raising an eyebrow. "It could pass as admiration, right? Well." Shisui paused as two shinobi began walking below them, returning to camp. "Watch. Look at Neji-san's eyes when he looks at Tenten-san."

He did so, his own eyes narrowing a fraction as he watched the couple interact. There was a warmth in the Hyuuga's eyes, a smile. It was not something Itachi was used to seeing from him - in fact, he'd never even noticed the change before until Shisui pointed it out. There was something different about the way Neji was holding himself, how his body seemed to be turned towards her despite the fact they were walking. Like gravity. Shisui had stated that he felt as though he had been gravitating towards Kurenai. Was it the same for Neji?

It aggravated Itachi how he didn't know how or why it worked that way, how he couldn't understand it. "And now?"

"Now, Kurenai-san is happy and in love with another." Itachi's eyes moved to Shisui's, once again shocked. He'd always known his friend was selfless. "I let her go because she was already in love. It wasn't easy and I'll admit, there are times when I wish I could watch her train again, but it is wrong to get in the way of love. In the end, it will only cause pain."

That was what he admired so much about Shisui. He was older, meaning he was more experienced. Shisui had no problem with opening up to Itachi and using his own pain or feelings to give the younger Uchiha advice. It had always been that way. If there was something Itachi was uncertain of, he went to Shisui. Sometimes it was difficult for him to open up and say what he was thinking, for the thoughts would not form into words, but somehow, some way, Shisui knew exactly what Itachi was thinking and always managed to help.

" _Shisui-san!"_

It amused Shisui how Itachi tensed ever so slightly.

" _It's time for our session!"_

However, it amused Itachi just as much how Shisui tensed even more so.

"My eyes are fine today, Sakura-san," he tried to tell her, not willing to come down from his perch on the branch.

Only a second passed before she was crouching beside him, eyes narrowed and body curled and tensed like she was ready to pounce and drag him back down with her, should she have to. However, when her gaze slipped to Itachi's, he felt part of himself relax at the way her eyes flashed with warmth, silently telling him she could feel it, too. "You're next, Itachi."

"He can go first–"

Again, her eyes narrowed dangerously and snapped to Shisui's and once more, Itachi was amused that one of the most powerful shinobi he knew was currently trying to talk his way out of being healed. "Go, Shisui. It won't take too long."

Sakura sighed, grumbling, "You always try to avoid me, Shisui-san. And when I finally find you, you try to tell me that you don't need your eyes healing. Are you forgetting who my teammates are, or who my sensei is?" She sighed again. "Come on. You always admit at the end of the healing session that it wasn't as bad as you thought it would be."

"That is because you seem to have multiple personalities, Sakura-san," Shisui mumbled, his eyebrows knitting together. "I never know whether I'm going to have my eyes healed, or come away with broken bones, barely making it out alive."

So she wasn't only unpredictable to him? For some reason, it disappointed Itachi.

"If you stay on my good side," she told him, her voice sickly sweet despite her deadly expression, "then you won't have to worry."

"Fine, fine."

"Only one fine is necessary!" Sakura snapped, but then patted his arm softly. "Let's go. Itachi, come and find me in about an hour or two."

* * *

Sitting at his place at the campfire, he nonchalantly glanced around while eating his meal, quietly assessing them all - or, more specifically, Sasuke and Itachi.

The changes he'd noticed since Team Seven's joining them were only minuscule in the beginning, with Sasuke's changes being harder to pinpoint due to his temporary incapacitation (since everything during that time was more or less out of character for him). Now, however, Shisui could see everything (and not because of Sakura's healing sessions).

He was out of character in the way he approached and cared for Sakura and while it wasn't odd to witness him glaring in cold warning at the males whose eyes would linger a little too long on her body (he supposed it was relatively normal to feel protective of a vulnerable teammate), it _was_ unusual to see him acting like he cared. He was the type of guy who kept his heart hidden beneath an icy exterior his father helped erect, refusing to let many, if anyone, in all the way (and strangers certainly never got to view his emotional side). Similar, in a sense, to his brother, but at the same time, Itachi's distancing was an entirely different matter and so much more than merely following their father's example.

Itachi genuinely did not understand bonds and try as he might to help his friend understand, it simply never stuck in the way he intended it to. He didn't - or more like couldn't - connect with people like the rest of them, which was why his behaviour as of late fascinated Shisui and filled him with hope.

It did not surprise him that Itachi was taking care of Sakura because despite what people thought, he was quite a passionate person. He cared and felt (in his own unique way) and was somebody who just could not stand to see pain or suffering. However, it _did_ surprise him how close he and Sakura were becoming. As Shisui previously stated, he didn't connect the way the rest of them did and more often than not, merely went through the motions and did what he believed to be the norm in terms of social interactions.

People often questioned the differences between Itachi and Sasuke, wondering why the younger brother struggled more in concealing his emotions or becoming the so-called perfect shinobi, when the other seemingly had it mastered. Honestly? Itachi wasn't even aware that he was doing it half of the time (leading to way too many misunderstandings). Shisui had spent many years observing his friend, wondering when or if it would ever _connect_ for him and it seemed that perhaps it finally was - or, at the very least, somebody was finally seeing beyond that.

Curiously, he spared a glance over in her direction, refraining from frowning at the way she carelessly toyed with her food, too lost in her own thoughts to notice him.

On multiple occasions now, he'd heard the way Sakura would break down into tears, even though she always stubbornly fought them back, not wanting to wake either of them up. Shisui also heard the way Itachi would gently shush her, or heard movements that suggested he was tightening his hold on the pink haired kunoichi. It didn't surprise him how Itachi took care of Sakura, comforted her, without a word of complaint. He was a gentle person. A kind one. He may be a shinobi and struggle with expressing his emotions, but his friend had a pacifistic, gentle nature. He cared more deeply than anyone could imagine.

He wondered when they would move on from that stage, and considered if it would be wise of him to move cabins. If he did, however, how would he suggest the move without making his suspicions of their relationship obvious? He-

Movement in his peripheral caught his attention and Shisui sighed when he saw Itachi inconspicuously tip his chin towards his cabin. No doubt he was needed to play messenger once more - not that he was complaining. Carrying his instant ramen with him, he ate as he walked, knowing that if he left it behind it wouldn't be there when he returned. Uzumaki Naruto was a glutton when it came to ramen and Shisui would not make the same mistake twice.

"You were staring," Itachi pointed out once they were in the privacy of their cabin, the corners of his lips twitching briefly in what Shisui knew to be a smile.

"Only to you," he shot back in response. Nobody else had noticed. To anyone else, he was merely looking around.

"Why?"

Why was he staring, was what Itachi meant. Sighing, he leaned back casually against the chest of drawers, waiting a few moments as he took his time in eating a couple of bites of his ramen. Looking up while blowing on another mouthful, he paused in eating, asking, "Is it wrong for me to be concerned about her?"

"Sakura?"

"Who else?" Offering a half-hearted shrug, he questioned, "I don't see her moving on from this anytime soon."

“I would be concerned if she _did_ move on so easily,” murmured Itachi, surprising Shisui greatly when he continued so openly, sharing, “I know that over the years you have seen me grow more guarded in my emotions, hiding what I am experiencing. But there is not a single day where I don’t recall the faces of those who have either died on my watch, or by my hand.” He sighed deeply and sat down, placing a scroll Shisui presumed to be his mission down in the centre of the table. "Sakura is a medic who cherishes life, and she just lost a child she swore to love and protect like she was her own. I don't see her moving on from this. Not fully. Would you?"

Everybody was so out of character, in his eyes.

Or were they merely developing as people and he was too caught up on who they were supposed to be to accept said development? Shisui chewed thoughtfully, watching Itachi. Now, _that_ was an interesting thought.

* * *

Shisui was away again.

Due to his being the fastest and the most skilled at concealing himself or erasing the memories of any who spotted him, Shisui was often selected to act as a messenger between camps. All captains of the base camps (and Shisui, of course) had come to the decision after a crow was intercepted during an attack.

The camp he was needed at that night was base camp one, which happened to be the one Hatake Kakashi was in charge of. A few months ago, Naruto stated it took him around five hours to get there even at a dead sprint (when he'd left to acquire eye drops for Sasuke), however, it took Shisui half that time if he seriously pushed himself. That meant he and Sakura had at least five hours, six at most, to themselves before he returned.

Although it no doubt seemed that way, Itachi didn't mind sharing his cabin with Shisui to grant Neji and Tenten some privacy. It was just that… Well, there were times where he wished he could spend more time with Sakura - alone - for it was when they were alone that they truly opened up and got to know one another.

"Sasuke-kun and Naruto think that I'm covering a watch tonight," Sakura told him as she slipped under his covers and moved closer to him. "They didn't ask any questions."

With the way they were sneaking around, one would think that they were having an illicit affair. But they weren't and Itachi wouldn't really call it sneaking - they simply chose not to inform the others at the camp that Sakura was sleeping in his bed. It was none of their concern and they had no right to see her in such a light. With him, in his arms, she was vulnerable. And perhaps it was brazen of him to feel such a way, but he believed the others didn't deserve to see her so bare.

Leaning up on his elbow and resting his head on his fist, he lifted the other arm in a silent invitation that she accepted immediately, comfortably settling down against him and sighing when he wrapped the lifted arm around her waist. She was cold, Itachi noted while pulling her closer, sharing his heat. That unquestionably meant that she'd just returned from visiting Aiko's grave, not that he really expected any different.

"I feel like my head is all over the place," she whispered to him suddenly.

One interesting fact he'd discovered about Sakura was her tendency to fidget or look around anxiously when discussing such personal subjects, her nerves getting the best of her. Sometimes she pulled at the hem of her shirt, other times she distractedly did the same to the sheet. In that moment, she played with the ends of his hair, twirling it around her fingers and watching in fascination as the dark strands flicked out.

"I see her everywhere," she whispered with a frown, biting her lower lip. "And she's all I can think about. I've tried so hard to distract myself, but no matter what I'm doing, I keep remembering how badly I failed her. She died because of my weakness."

"What weakness?" he asked softly.

"Sasuke-kun… He says that I have a habit of trying to fix people, or of trying to do everything myself." Shifting slightly in a show of discomfort, dimples marred her chin, the mixture of anger and sadness no longer surprising him. Lately, it was all she ever felt towards herself and no matter what he said, it never changed. It was an obstacle she had to learn to overcome in her own time. "I should have listened to you and Neji-san when you tried to tell me to send Aiko-chan to Konoha. I should've done that. I should have healed her then allowed Sai to take her to Konoha. At least that way, she'd still be alive. If I–"

Despite knowing it wouldn't alleviate her guilt and that it was a losing battle, Itachi inexplicably found himself trying anyway, cutting her off firmly. "You should not think that way, Sakura. There is no use in obsessing over what ifs." He sighed. "What happened, happened. I understand that you are hurting and I know you most likely hate what I'm saying to you right now. But think of it this way-" He ignored how she opened her mouth to argue, pressing a single finger to her lips, effectively silencing her while simultaneously causing her to blush for a brief few seconds. "-Aiko-chan gave her life to protect you because she loved you. If she had done as you asked and remained in the cabin, there is a possibility that she wouldn't have been killed. But it was while knowing there was a chance of losing her life that she ran out there to try and protect you."

She shook her head angrily, leaning up on her elbow, seemingly unaffected by the lack of distance between their faces. "Aiko-chan didn't know she would die! She was just a–"

"Just a child?" Itachi murmured and when she nodded, glaring up at him, he sighed. "Aiko-chan informed you that before the death of her parents, she was being trained to become a shinobi - perhaps not like the rest of us had been, but she was nonetheless. There is also the fact that Aiko-chan had seen many terrible things, meaning she was not a naïve child like you're imagining she was. She knew what would happen if she got involved in that battle."

And because his words were nothing but the truth, hitting her where it hurt, Sakura could do no more than lower her head, her forehead pressing to the crook of his neck. "I told her I would look after her."

The hand on her back trailed up to cradle the back of her head at the faint tremble he felt from Sakura. "I know."

"I feel like I can never do anything right," she whispered harshly into his neck.

It did no good to try and bottle up emotions, so Itachi was silent and did his best to comfort her, silently telling her that it was okay, that she could lean on him in her hour of need.

The way she attempted to bottle up her pain and emotions was unhealthy and damaging, and Itachi wholeheartedly believed it was partly the cause behind her intense nightmares. Throughout the day she refused to give into her feelings, but at night when she came to him, that bottle exploded and there was no controlling everything that came shooting out of her. However, voicing his thoughts to her (to anyone) would make him one of the greatest hypocrites, because wasn't that what he did daily? Bottled up his emotions?

It didn't matter either way, Itachi thought as he shifted in his position, the arm he'd once been leaning on now placed beneath her back, thumb tracing a soothing pattern on the small patch of skin revealed there. He found that he didn't mind taking care of her.

"The word 'weak' keeps flashing through my mind."

"Change it, then."

She pulled back slightly and gazed up at him uncertainly. Once more, she didn't seem to notice the mere inches between their faces. "How?"

However, Itachi _was_ affected and his eyes were tempted to glance down at her lips, whereas his lips wanted nothing more than to close the distance between them, although he did a good job of hiding it. "Train."

Sakura sighed with annoyance. "I do. All the time. I've trained with so many people and the outcome is still the same. I'm still–"

"I will train you," Itachi told her, fighting back the smile that threatened to pull at his lips when he saw the stunned look on her face. "And I will help you grow stronger. In return," he continued, his eyes growing more serious, "I want you to do something for me."

"Do something?" she asked meekly, nerves evident in the faint shake of her voice.

"Yes."

And as he told her what he wanted her to do, Sakura's eyes widened in shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Itachi had a genin team and that they were a major part of his past, however I wrote this story long before that came to light and I've decided to keep it in.


	18. Nothing to Apologise For

**Chapter 17**

**Nothing To Apologise For**

* * *

Sakura's body was stiff with fear when she awoke with a start, fingers gripping at the arms holding her and while she knew she would be leaving small half moon indentations in her wake, she couldn't control it. Any of it.

Not when she spotted the shadow on Itachi's side of the bed.

"Breathe," came the soft murmur of the man she'd come to rely on so heavily. Rather than moving to look at her in her moment of weakness, Sakura was so grateful when Itachi shuffled closer, nose nuzzling the top of her hair. Usually when he did such a thing, his breath tickled her scalp. In that moment, she couldn't feel it. "It was just a nightmare."

No. It wasn't. Nightmares ended when the person woke up. Her nightmare was real and it was glaring down at her with blood soaked features.

When would it end? When would the nightmares and the waking up to see _her_ standing over her end? Would they? Or was Sakura trapped in her guilt and destined to spend the rest of her life living in such a broken way?

"Breathe, Sakura," Itachi's soothing voice whispered into her ear. His hold was secure, comforting, but her focus was her – _Aiko_.

"I-I'm sorry," she said aloud to the bloodied child, fighting to break free of her immobilisation. "I'm so sorry!"

Not that she needed it, but Itachi's response to her apology confirmed that only she could see Aiko. As obvious as that point was, Sakura still wasn't sure how to feel about it. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

Yes, she did. She had everything to be sorry for.

The accusing stare of the child she'd failed so horrifically proved that.

* * *

Quick to jump backwards and attempt to create more distance between herself and Itachi, Sakura found herself on the defensive the moment her foot touched back down on the ground.

She should have anticipated how difficult the spar would be from the rumours alone, but she still found herself giving ground and flailing desperately while trying to spot some kind of opening. His attacks were fast, precise and most importantly, they were relentless, refusing to give her even a second of a breather. The worst part about it, though? He hadn't even activated his sharingan. He wasn't even breathless.

Their spar was exactly what Sakura needed to escape her own tortuous mind and forget about the harrowing images burned into her memory.

Like it needed to be proven, the thought was cut off abruptly when she spotted the raising of Itachi's leg and she ducked swiftly, just barely missing having her head taken off by his kick.

They'd been at it for hours, pushing her body to the limit with the continuous sparring. Everything hurt, but that was okay because her mind was too focused on dodging and countering to even care - like he would let her waste time on complaining, anyway. Itachi was a total hardass, perhaps even worse than Kakashi. She wasn't quite sure if he was up on Tsunade's level (because holy _shit_ training with her shishou was lethal and draining and absolutely terrifying), but that hardly mattered.

That morning Itachi informed her they would be working on her reflexes and naturally, Sakura tried to argue that her reflexes were fine. They had to be, considering it was the first thing Tsunade had beaten into her. She'd spent years perfecting dodging attacks. However, within the first few seconds of their spar, Itachi proved her wrong by moving so much faster than she could keep up with, knocking her on her ass. It wasn't fair, she had tried to argue. He was much faster than her!

So now, they were also working on her speed.

It'd been three weeks since they began training together and Sakura liked to think she'd improved during that time. Every night, she would crawl into bed aching and struggling to move (rather than leaving herself at risk, she soon remedied that issue with quick bursts of healing chakra, though reluctantly had to wait until her chakra levels were at a reasonable level once more). And granting her hopes of growing stronger when she brought it up to her team, they'd agreed, confirming she'd improved. Sasuke'd said he wasn't surprised and wasn't sure why she was making such a big deal of it. Itachi was a good teacher, he'd said with a careless shrug.

And he was. Itachi never babied her. Never allowed her to take a break or catch her breath. He kept her on her toes at all times and demanded her full attention, always coming at her like he was actually her enemy.

While the ability to train every day was there, they kept in mind that they were not back home. Being at a base camp meant they _needed_ to be prepared at all times otherwise they were at risk of creating weaknesses their enemies could exploit, so they couldn't completely exhaust themselves by constantly training. Some days they didn't train at all, others they took it easy and two or three days a week, they really went at it and pushed themselves to their limits. Well, Sakura pushed herself to the limit. By the end of every training session, she was lucky if Itachi was breathless.

Despite his effortlessly keeping up with her, he seemed happy with how she was coming along. He had told her so just the other night when Shisui asked how the training was going. Surprisingly, he wasn't the only one invested in her training, as the others encouraged her motivation to improve also.

Many had taken to watching in their spare time, such as her teammates – both permanent and temporary. Lee enjoyed watching too, shouting encouragement to her and often moving this way and that, like he was thinking of how _he_ would have moved had it been him who was sparring with either Sakura or Itachi. After a while, Neji and Tenten joined him in watching Sakura's training. It made her feel a little self-conscious, but Itachi never gave her enough time to think about it. Apparently he was used to having people watch him train.

Suddenly, his hand struck out and grabbed her wrist, twisting her arm and holding it behind her back.

"You are allowing your mind to wander, Sakura," he murmured warningly. "Can you afford to do that in a fight against your enemy?"

She shook her head. "No."

"What were you thinking about?"

Sakura was aware of what he was expecting her to say. She knew what he was most likely inwardly sighing about. However, that wasn't the answer she gave him. "It's off-putting having them all watching." She sighed, relaxing against his hold (more like she had no other choice to, as one wrong movement and her arm would snap like a twig). "It makes me feel like an animal in a zoo."

Glancing over his shoulder, Itachi silently watched the four sat there. Sasuke, Naruto, Tenten and Lee. Neji was doing a perimeter run with Sai while Shisui was once again going to base camp one with a scroll for Kakashi.

" _Kick, Sakura-san_ ," Lee yelled to her when their standstill lasted too long for his liking, thinking she was stuck. " _He has restrained your arm, not your leg!"_

" _Idiot_ ," Tenten sighed with a shake of her head. " _If Sakura tries to harm him, Itachi-taichou could break her arm_."

" _Eh?"_ Naruto exclaimed, jumping to his feet. " _Oi, Itachi!"_ he yelled angrily, shaking his fist in the air. " _This is a spar, not a real fight! Don't hurt my Sakura-chan. This_ –"

" _Shut up, dobe_."

" _Teme_ –"

"You see what I mean?" Sakura sighed with annoyance. "It's distracting and annoying."

His responding sigh was filled with understanding and was complemented by his thumb tracing soothing patterns on her wrist, effectively easing the knots of anxiousness building in her chest.

"It is," he relented easily and released her.

Sakura exhaled a weighty breath of relief and rubbed her shoulder and wrist a few times, attempting to alleviate the aches.

How could she tell the others that they needed to back off? Dropping her arm and turning to face Itachi, which also meant facing the others, she considered her options. Saying it too harshly could cause offence, and that was the last thing Sakura wanted because at the end of the day they were her friends, and they were just trying to support her. Sadly, however, that support was a major distraction and they needed to recognise that.

With an air of resignation, she lowered herself into a defensive stance and prepared herself for Itachi as he suddenly shot over to her.

" _Sakura-chan, duck!"_

An unforgiving punch to the face had her flying backwards, utterly stunning them all – even Itachi. From the brief glimpse at his expression, she'd seen that he was certain she would dodge it.

Itachi turned around, his eyes narrowed and serious as they locked with Naruto's wide, horrified ones. "Naruto-kun–"

"You idiot," Sakura yelled, beating Itachi to it. She shot to her feet and darted over to his frozen form, shaking him roughly once she had a hold of his collar. "Look! _Look at this_!" She gestured to her bloody lip, tightening her hold on the Uzumaki. "I could have dodged if you hadn't distracted me!"

"Sakura-chan, I'm–"

"No," she snapped, cutting him off and bringing him closer, her eyes honestly terrifying him. "This is training, Naruto. This is _my_ training. This isn't a game. If I want to become stronger, I need to take this seriously and I can't do that with you screaming my name every two minutes!"

It was evident the others caught onto her not-so-subtle meaning as both Lee and Tenten showed signs of embarrassment, the former's cheeks flushing while the latter bit her lip to try and keep it firm. However, just as Sakura felt guilt for yelling blooming in her chest, she was happy to find that appeared understanding and not angry in the slightest. For a moment there, she was afraid she'd offended them, since they were only there to support her - but this wasn't the chūnin exams. It was her training. What's more, Itachi was taking time out of _his_ day to train her, despite being the leader of the base camp, meaning he was extremely busy.

Sighing, she loosened her hold on Naruto. "I'd be grateful if Itachi and I could train in private. Without everyone watching. I'm so grateful that you're all here to support me, but it's too much of a distraction and it's already difficult keeping up with him."

The blond didn't seem concerned with backing away or trying to make a run for it. Instead, Naruto pouted. "I like watching you spar."

"You can spar with me once a week," Sakura offered with a small smile, knowing that he was understanding but still reluctant. "Please, Naruto. You and Kakashi-sensei have always gone easy on me. Sasuke-kun is the only member of Team Seven who takes me seriously. And Tsunade-sama, too. If I keep sparring with you and sensei, then I'm never going to be able to grow. You both hold back so much that it makes me feel pathetic."

Opening her heart in such a way and in front of so many people left her fingers to tremble ever so slightly with anxiousness. Would he accept her wishes? Or would he feel compelled to argue further, simply because they were a team and he liked watching her train? Because if so, she would gladly kick his ass.

Luckily for him, it was the former.

"Fine," he sighed, but then smiled brightly. "Do your best to get stronger, Sakura-chan, but don't hurt Itachi too badly."

She smirked at his wicked grin and nodded once.

"Oh and heal your lip," Naruto yelled over his shoulder as the group left the clearing. "Blood doesn't suit you."

Rolling her eyes, Sakura turned to face Itachi, smiling up at him triumphantly. "So, do we need to work on my acting skills?"

He gave her a small smirk and closed the distance between them. "No. There may be a plus side to showing so much emotion, after all," Itachi murmured to her, though his smirk slipped away at the sight of her lip. "You should have given me–"

Sakura waved her hand dismissively, too giddy to feel upset about the split. He seriously wasn't pulling any punches during their spars, much to her happiness. And It honestly didn't even hurt that badly if she didn't focus on it, although it _was_ kind of disgusting feeling blood dripping down her chin. Surely it wasn't an attractive sight, either?

"I'm fine, Itachi."

Surprise laced through her system when a gentle hand came to her face, his thumb brushing over her bottom lip, eyes glued to her features, assessing and vaguely concerned, like he was searching for signs of pain - signs she never presented. There was only awe after a couple of moments when she felt the tingling sensation of healing chakra coming to life and seeping beneath the broken skin of her lip.

It was obvious he wasn't a healer by nature, for it took him much longer to heal a wound that would've taken her mere seconds, but the gesture was appreciated nonetheless. Embarrassingly, all she could really do was stare up at him lamely, entrapped by the concentration in his gaze as he focused heavily on her lip, unknowingly making her stomach clench.

"I didn't know you could heal," Sakura whispered.

Even though she could tell he was finished and the familiar green glow faded away, Itachi didn't let go of her face, seemingly trapped in her eyes just as she'd been with his. Instead, he cupped her jaw, thumb continuing to soothingly stroke her lip as though he was making sure there was no longer any pain. She noted that much of the blood that'd oozed to the surface following the split now coated his thumb also, telling her he was wiping it away.

"There are a lot of things you don't know."

Sakura smirked softly. "Very mysterious."

"Very."

Was it just her, or was Itachi leaning forward? Or was it her leaning up? Whoever it was, Inner-Sakura agreed wholeheartedly and liked that person very much.

* * *

He'd been sickened with himself the moment he'd punched her. Without his sharingan activated, he'd regrettably failed to read her movements until it was too late to pull his punch, but that was her plan all along, Itachi believed. Like a true shinobi, Sakura took full advantage of the moment and his rare show of weakness. It was an act he both admired and disliked, for the simple, sentimental reason of it being _himself_ who caused her pain.

To try and rectify the shock to his system at witnessing just how soundly she'd received his punch, to the extent where she'd actually tumbled away from him like she was nothing but a porcelain, so distressingly easily breakable doll, Itachi put his basic knowledge to the test and healed her lip. It was the least he could do.

Itachi would be the first to admit that he was no Shizune or Sakura and he was most definitely no Tsunade. However, to avoid going to the hospital whenever he returned from a mission and at his mother's insistence, Itachi had taught himself basic medical ninjutsu. No, he could not heal major or fatal wounds. At best he could heal broken fingers. However, he could also clot blood in a bid to stem the bleeding. That was enough to get himself and his teammates back to Konoha, to the hospital. That was all that they needed to stay alive.

Beneath his thumb, he found that her bottom lip was just the slightest bit thicker than her upper lip, but Itachi decided that he liked that. It also occurred to him at that moment that her skin was just as soft as her lips and inwardly, Itachi was asking himself just when his thumb had moved from her lip and across her face, stroking her cheek. Not that it really mattered to either of them in that moment, he noted.

Since the healing sessions on his eyes began, he found that he could see so much better. He could see the slight crease between her eyebrows as his thumb smoothed it over, effectively making her relax her features.

There were yellow flecks in her eyes as well as emerald and fresh apple green, though overall, from a distance, it seemed like they were simply apple green. And despite her natural colour, her eyelashes were not pink. Itachi wasn't sure why he had thought they would be as the idea of them being pink seemed rather foolish. No, instead they were as dark and thick as his own, though not as long. He also noted that her eyes were different from when she was younger. When she was younger, they seemed a little droopy (though nowhere near as bad as Hatake Kakashi's), but right now, standing before him and staring up at him from beneath her lashes, they were enticingly slanted.

He had always known that Haruno Sakura would grow to be a beautiful woman. The only part that had been wrong in his eleven-year-old self's prediction, was that she was not a civilian. Sakura was a kunoichi.

That was even better, in his eyes.

* * *

This time, Sakura knew for a fact that it was Itachi who moved, for he pressed his forehead to hers, seeming almost hypnotised by her eyes. Had they suddenly switched bodies? Was she the one with the sharingan and had it activated of its own accord? Sakura felt like scoffing. Yeah, she wished. But if she didn't have the sharingan (and she didn't), then what was so fascinating about her eyes? Of course, she had received many compliments on the colour of them, but… She smiled shyly, though bit her lip when Itachi's eyes were drawn to them.

And the second she released her lip, his suddenly descended to hers.

The kiss was not simple and she liked it. She liked the way Itachi seemed hesitant, like he was holding back. She liked the way he waited until she responded before he shut his eyes, before he completely relaxed. Sakura liked how one moment, he kissed her gently, softly, and then the next, he would be deepening the kiss, he would move his lips against hers with a barely restrained hunger. It made her feel wanted. No, it made her feel as though she was _needed_.

Swiftly, the hand on her cheek slid into her hair, marvelling at the softness of the strands.

He was everywhere. His warmth, the feeling he radiated…

Sakura's arms wrapped around his neck and she lifted herself onto her tiptoes, gasping softly when she parted her lips for him and his tongue slipped into her mouth, caressing her own. One of his hands dropped to her hip, dragging her closer to him and before Sakura even realised what was happening, her back was against the nearest tree trunk. Maybe his self-control wasn't as great as everybody made it seem? Sure, he _appeared_ to be emotionless all of the time, but maybe that wasn't the case? Kakashi had taught them to look underneath the underneath. Perhaps there was more to Itachi than there appeared?

It didn't matter in that moment.

His eyes were warm and half lidded when they parted for air, panting against each other's lips and forcing her to notice that the air around them felt different than before. But Sakura wasn't an idiot. She could read the signs and knew how she had been acting around Itachi. She also knew that he knew she wanted him thanks to her inner-persona.

Suddenly, however, he pulled away with a small smile, confusing the hell out of her briefly.

And then a moment later, somebody was by his side.

"Itachi-taichou, Sakura," Tenzo greeted them and thankfully, even if he noticed the blush on Sakura's cheeks and her messy hair, he didn't say anything or so much as bat an eyelid. In fact, he acted like nothing was going on, like he didn't suspect a thing. That was what Sakura had always like about Tenzo. He kept to himself and didn't force his way into another's business. If he could sense that it was private, that it wasn't to be told to anyone, he would keep it that way with little to no problems, unless it could potentially jeopardise the mission. "It seems our captive is finally beginning to speak."

It was about damn time, she wanted to snap with a roll of her eyes.

While she wanted nothing more than to remain in the moment and further explore the mutual desire thrumming between them, Sakura accepted easily that those emotions needed to be reined in. They had jobs to do - their main priority. Anything else was to be side-lined until an appropriate moment. To show she understood that when Tenzo was dismissed and returned to the camp, she gave Itachi a warm smile, answering his slight pause to read her reaction without falter.

In response, Itachi closed the distance between them once more and kissed her softly, although the kiss wasn't like the first. This one was simple, yet still tender. She appreciated it just as much, though.

"I will speak with you later, Sakura."

And then he was gone.

And Sakura wasn't so stunned by the ferocious yearning that lingered within her.

* * *

He had kissed her.

Sakura took a deep breath and continued her work on Sasuke's eyes, trying to keep calm as she did so.

But _oh Gods_. Uchiha Itachi had _kissed_ her!

And she wanted him to do it again. And again. _And again._

"Why are you so excited?" Sasuke grumbled, though was not able to open his eyes due to the fact she was healing them.

The damage was no longer as bad as it once was and he alleged to being able to see almost perfectly. However, Sakura was wary about him activating his sharingan, regardless of their sessions going so well. At least not yet. When he activated it, she wanted Itachi or Shisui to be around just in case something happened and her current research did nothing to help. Luckily, however, there was no more pain for Sasuke, although it took him a good thirty seconds in the morning to clear his vision of blurred spots. That was something Sakura was currently working on.

As a shinobi, as an Uchiha, Sasuke needed his sight to be perfect. Otherwise, if there was an attack and he suddenly leapt out of bed to defend himself, there was the possibility of accidentally killing a comrade and not realising until it was too late.

The new captain at base camp four (Sakura was certain he was called Hiro) had asked her if it was a wise decision to keep Sasuke there, given the extensive damage. Oh she had wanted so badly to beat the shit out of him, especially since he had asked her in front of the entire camp _while_ Sasuke was by her side. Hiro's words got to Sasuke – they could all see it. They could see the way his features struggled to remain detached, the way his fists clenched tightly. It was only thanks to Tenzo intervening that Hiro didn't get his ass kicked by both Sakura and Sasuke (Naruto, too, once he realised what was happening).

"Your eyes, Sasuke-kun," Sakura half-lied. It was hard to tell if she was lying since she sounded just as excited – and she was. "They're almost completely healed now. Tomorrow, I want you to tell me how long it takes for your vision to clear when you wake up."

And then they were going to try activating his sharingan.

Carefully extracting her chakra, Sakura smiled brightly at the Uchiha as he slowly opened his eyes and blinked twice. "It didn't take as long for them to clear," he commented, glancing around the room. "Even after you heal them, they take at least ten to fifteen seconds to clear, depending on how long they're closed for."

"Which is a great sign!"

He gave a small smile and nodded once. "Yeah."

"I feel like I'm so much closer to discovering why your eyes are being affected so much," Sakura told him. "I've been thinking back to when all this began and I realised that before you became the Kyuubi's watcher, you never had a problem." Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction. "Do you think that's it?"

It was quiet for a while as Sasuke thought over her words, as he tried to figure out just what that would mean if it was true. What if it _was_ because of him being the Kyuubi's watcher? But that didn't make any sense, she chastised herself, since Itachi and Shisui had watched over the Kyuubi several times and they never had a problem. The same went for many in his clan. _Why him_? Were his eyes not as strong as the others'?

"I don't think so," he murmured after a minute or two. "If that was the case, Tsunade would have found someone else to watch over Naruto and the Kyuubi."

That was true. The moment she realised it was causing him health problems, Tsunade would have stopped him from being the watcher and handed it over to somebody who could handle it.

"But something around that time definitely did something to your eyes," Sakura replied with a frown. "Remember that morning when we were in the hospital? And other than headache and eye strain, you were fine. More or less unharmed."

Sasuke scowled. "Naruto wasn't harmed either."

"I'm not accusing you of anything," she snapped, realising he had taken her words the wrong way. "I'm just stating facts. And yeah, all that was wrong with him was chakra depletion and the fact that the chakra from the Kyuubi always hurts him." After a moment or two, Sasuke nodded in agreement. Sakura stared into his eyes, trying to remember if something had happened to his sharingan, but she couldn't. Nothing that came springing to mind with warning bells, anyway. "When you next activate your sharingan, I want to be there and I want either Itachi or Shisui-san there. That way, if I miss anything, they'll be able to tell me."

Knowing that there was no use in arguing, he nodded again. "Right."

* * *

The captive was finally speaking, but the things he was saying were worrying to say the least.

An Uchiha attacked Iwa.

And the Tsuchikage was certain that it had been Sasuke. However, when the Iwa-nin told Itachi the date of the attack, he could personally vouch for his brother. That was the date of one of the bigger, more important, clan meetings. One that nobody was allowed to miss. Even if they were on their deathbed, they had to attend. No exceptions and no excuses. Throughout that entire clan meeting, Sasuke was sat next to him and was conscious the whole time, speaking when spoken to directly and giving the occasional nod of approval.

So that meant somebody had been impersonating his brother. He could not have sent a clone either, as the distance was far too great and it wouldn't have made it even halfway. Sasuke may have large chakra reserves, but he was not Naruto. The further away a clone got, the more chakra it took to sustain it.

All around the time of the attack, Sasuke had either been with him, or with the Hokage and his team. It made no sense. Why would somebody choose Sasuke? Why not Itachi or Shisui? At that moment in time, they were both the most powerful in their clan – not including those who were dead, of course – whereas Sasuke was not. But maybe that was why he had been chosen? While Sasuke was powerful, he still had flaws and many weaknesses, essentially making him easier to impersonate. He and Shisui never showed their weaknesses. They never revealed what their flaws were. So even if somebody was watching them, they would not be able to find much out. With Sasuke, however…

Itachi sighed and sat back in his seat, about to start on yet another report.

Who could be impersonating his younger brother?

When he found out who, that person was going to be made to answer for their crimes. Not only were they dragging Sasuke's name through the mud, but they were also trying to start a war. They were putting not only his family in danger, but the whole of Konoha.

That was not acceptable.

* * *

"Camp has been busy all day. People rushing around, shouting orders, arguing." Sakura smiled sadly as she recounted her day, gaze fixated on the makeshift headstone. Gods, she wished she could have given her more that that, wished she could have at least been there, but simultaneously, she was indescribably grateful that her team ensured she received a marked grave in the space she loved most. "You probably wouldn't have liked it much. I know you don't like loud noises."

Silence met her, but she was oddly grateful for that too, just in case that warped vision of her accompanied any noise.

Looking around the dark clearing on the off chance it _was_ there and she'd somehow missed her, she frowned, heart palpitating when a bush shuddered ominously until a hedgehog slowly revealed itself and caused Sakura to sag with relief.

Their day had been hectic to say the least, seeming more so due to Itachi awakening that yearning within her, the one that left her aching for release. After healing Sasuke's eyes, they'd left their cabin just in time to see Sai tossing a tied up Iwa-nin on the back of one of his creations, taking off the moment his orders were given and understood. They'd enquired about it of course, being as nosy as they were, however were quickly yet politely shut down and informed only three people knew - Itachi, Tenzo and Sai. It made sense, considering they were all ANBU and clearly, whatever they'd discovered was major and needed to be taken straight to their Hokage. She'd been able to see it in Itachi's eyes. Something had actually managed to piss him off.

Everything was being bathed in moonlight and Sakura couldn't help but smile softly at the sight of the flowers. They seemed so delicate and beautiful, even though their colours were all dulled or washed away. And in her peripheral vision, she could see that the ends of her hair appeared almost blonde and silver in the moonlight. No doubt the rest of her hair looked that colour, too.

The pain that had been ever-present for months doubled.

"Naruto misses you – we all do," Sakura told her softly, continuing with picking flowers and arranging them. It was her way of trying to ignore the shadows of the night, of trying to keep that horrific vision of Aiko at bay. "He misses having you around and laughing at his jokes. The others don't think he's all that funny, but you do, don't you?" A gentle breeze had her hair obscuring her vision for a moment, though it settled down almost straight away and although it only lasted a moment, Sakura sought great comfort from it. "And even though they won't admit it, I know Sasuke-kun and Itachi miss you, too. They just prefer not to bring you up, in case they upset me." Sakura paused for a moment and readjusted one of the flowers. "I'm still doing it, by the way. Training with Itachi. Though it's really tough, you know? Unlike the others, he never lets me take a break. He's pushing way beyond my limits." Another breeze, this one much stronger and she liked to think that it was Aiko's way of replying to her. "He's not hurting me. Itachi's making me stronger and helping me. I _need_ this."

Lowering her hands and stilling her movements, she frowned. "They're not all as patient as him, though. Some of the others are getting annoyed with me. Earlier, I overheard two of them talking about me. It shouldn't even matter since I can't even remember their names, but I can't stop replaying the conversation in my head. They were talking about how I'm too emotional, how I didn't even know you…" It took everything in her to stop the tears and when she spoke again, Sakura's voice was at a higher pitch. It'd always been a huge tell of hers. "And I know they're right, but it just hurts so bad. You were just a kid, Aiko-chan! You were just an innocent child who got mixed up in our wars and I'm so sorry for that. I'm so sorry for keeping you here when I should have sent you back to Konoha."

The breeze came back. "Itachi told me that I shouldn't feel guilty and I'm trying so hard not to, but it's difficult and I can tell that he feels like he's partly to blame, too. Usually he's so impassive – Sasuke-kun, too. But they're both feeling just as guilty as I am. We all have our reasons, I guess." Her breathing hitched for a moment, bloodied features once more plaguing her thoughts in response to the guilt that entered her heart and thoughts, chilling her horribly. "Aiko-chan, I'm so sorry that I couldn't keep my promise."

So entranced by the bloodied child clinging to her headstone, she almost missed the crow that descended towards her, its flapping wings dispelling the illusion and Sakura jolted, though managed to save the bouquet at the last moment. Its black head tilted to the side when it landed on her shoulder, like it knew exactly what was going through her mind and was demanding her entire focus, refusing to allow her to entertain the dead girl staring at her coldly. It wouldn't surprise her if it was, crows in general were intelligent as hell, but Itachi's summons? They were magnificent.

Nodding, she lowered the finished bouquet against the headstone, head bowing under the accusing stare boring down on her. She could feel the harsh beg to remain at the grave, to stay with her throughout the night and it cut her deeply, the recollection of how frightened Aiko had been of the dark causing the guilt to deepen.

But she couldn't stay there. The vision wasn't real, Sakura reminded herself.

So, with a trembling hand, she gently stroked the kanji that made up her name, offering a watery smile. "Night, Aiko-chan. I'll be back to see you tomorrow."

The crow disappeared halfway back to camp, taking the strength it'd granted her in order to leave Aiko's grave behind with it, however Sakura endured the unbearable weight that settled on her chest right up until she entered the cabin she shared with her team. Legs weak, she faltered in the doorway, eyes immediately drawn to the spare, still unmade bed that would remain empty. She'd struggled to bring herself to making it and much to her gratefulness, her boys respected that and allowed it to remain messy.

Desperate to be freed from the weight, she began her new routine by grabbing her bag and shoving clean clothing into it, rushing to leave the cabin once more to head to the showers. Staying in her own cabin wasn't impossible but was painful, especially when she awoke in the night to phantom noises of Aiko's nightmares. The first night after her death, Sakura had been so certain she heard her whimpering with terror that she'd automatically slipped into the bed only to jolt at the coldness of the sheets, stomach turning so viciously she'd genuinely almost thrown up. Since then, she'd made it a habit to sleep with the one person who'd offered her not only comfort, but strength too.

She nodded once to Neji on the way to the showers, knowing without a second thought that she could trust he wouldn't allow anyone to walk in on her (not that they would, as it was way into the early hours of the morning). She also knew he wouldn't comment on the fact that, after her shower, she would not be returning to her own cabin. Neji's eyes missed very little, but he didn't care for gossip or anything in general that didn't concern him (unless it involved his teammates' or friends' well-being).

It probably looked incredibly scandalous to such a traditional man though, Sakura couldn't help but ponder as she slipped out of her clothes, sloppily folding them beside her bag. Did he ever question her relationship with Itachi? Although he didn't care for gossip, he wasn't immune to it and Sakura knew even the most apathetic men couldn't help but feel curious at times too.

Her and Itachi's relationship was… It was everything she needed, if she was being completely honest. He protected her almost fiercely, shielding her from nightmares and judgements around the camp - hell, he protected her from the embarrassment of having Shisui overhear one of her many breakdowns too. He just… He _got_ it on such a deep level that it shook her. There was never any judgement, never any annoyance or impatience. In his arms, in his bed, he allowed her all the time she needed to heal herself, lending her his strength when she struggled with the healing process.

And then he'd kissed her, confirming her suspicions of their mutual attraction (not that it was all that hard to miss). How could they not grow more intimate, more aware of each other, when sharing moments such as those?

Sakura sighed at the water that sprayed over her, attempting to ease the knots in her muscles - knots that'd grown steadily worse throughout the day since their intense kiss in the fields. As always, it took a while to heat up but like she would ever complain about that when the fact they even had hot water in a place like that was a miracle.

Hoping that a refreshing shower would alleviate not only the crushing weight in her chest but also the tension Itachi created, she took her time in cleansing herself for the first time since arriving at the camp, no longer caring about perverts lurking in the shadows trying to catch a glimpse of her body. But it didn't, not entirely and she felt the tension making room for a fierce throbbing.

Itachi appeared traditional, but their letters allowed her glimpses of a less reserved man, one who wasn't afraid to tease her and reveal snippets of himself to her.

Would he be open to…?

Fingers stilling in shaving and washing her thighs at the unmistakable tingle it'd left in its wake, Sakura shut her eyes and inhaled deeply, biting her lip.

Previously, whenever she'd felt such a craving, a certain redhead had aided in easing it but Gaara was no longer an option to her (and not just because of the distance between them now).

However, Itachi…

No, she scolded herself and resumed shaving her legs. Their relationship building between them was potentially more fragile than it appeared, and while he'd been open in their letters, there was still the risk of his being more traditional that he appeared. Besides, to make a move left her so very vulnerable. Could she really be that way with him? Could she open up to him in such a risky way? Being comforted by him was one thing, their first kiss another. How many steps would she be skipping in the building of their bond by approaching him like that? Would it even be worth it?

Would he even understand where she was coming from? Surely, over the years, he had also felt that certain itch? She wouldn't think any less of him if he did. He had been in ANBU since he was just eleven years old, after all. He had to have seen some seriously messed up shit that had screwed with his head. All ANBU operatives were haunted by their job – though some were better at hiding the psychological damage than others.

Sakura bit her lip again, unable to silence the anxious barrage of questions.

No matter how strongly she tried to talk herself out of it, the burn of her need was gaining the upper hand and replacing all questions with just a single simple question.

Would he turn her away?

Even if it was only brief, she needed that blissful moment, the one that made her forget about the pain. Even if it was only for a short while she wanted to feel like she was needed. That was what her itch wanted. It wanted her to feel wanted, to feel needed. Could Itachi give her that? He had kissed her earlier that day, so clearly he was attracted to her or at least interested.

Deciding to simply take a chance, Sakura thoroughly cleaned herself and switched off the shower, drying her body quickly and distractedly before pulling on her pants and throwing a sweatshirt over her head. There was no point in putting on her underwear, because if things went the way she hoped they would then they would only be coming off again. So distracted, Sakura left the shower area without her bag and sandals, walking as fast as she could over the grass without drawing attention to herself (vaguely glad that she had dried her feet, as it wouldn't be very arousing to have grassy, muddy feet).

As it usually was, his cabin was shrouded in darkness, telling the outside world that either nobody was in or if they were, then they were out cold, so don't disturb. However, even though Itachi was the picture of slumber when she first entered, she could tell not only from the crow he'd sent to her, but also by the sound of his breathing that he was merely relaxing (as he always did until she returned to him, like he could no longer sleep unless she was there with him).

_He was still awake._

That thought repeated itself in her mind as she shut the door to the cabin behind herself, not failing to notice the other bed was empty.

Part of Sakura hoped his eyes would remain shut as she undressed herself, _just in case_ he rejected her after all, but the sound of fabric shifting of course caused Itachi to open his eyes.

"Shisui-san isn't here?" she asked softly, voice almost lost to the darkness.

Dark eyes were not curious when they roamed her body and they were not wary, making it tingle wonderfully in response. Even better, she thought to herself, was when he shook his head in response to her question and raised his arm and the blanket in invitation.

It was as Itachi turned onto his side that Sakura made the first move in slipping a thigh over his hip and now that her eyes were adjusting to the darkness, she met his gaze sultrily, insides clenching at the responding need that didn't hesitate to enter his own. He wanted it just as much as she did and knowing that eradicated any reasons to hesitate.

Emboldened by his response, her eager hands pulled on the drawstring pants he was wearing, shoving them down just enough for him to be freed and once he was, she was meeting him halfway in a heated kiss, her hand working on his length until he was just as ready as her.

He was not rejecting her or pushing her away, no matter how sudden it seemed. Instead, he picked up on her urgency to go further and drew quick circles on her clitoris, catching her noises of pleasure with his mouth.

He wanted her too.

The heel of Sakura's foot dug into the back of his thigh and her mouth fell open, eyes slid shut, when she guided him to her entrance, allowing him to slide his length into her heat, stretching her in such a wondrous way that she had to pause and savour the moment. It was nothing like how she'd imagined it, and Sakura hissed with pleasure when Itachi's hand dropped to her ass and guided her into following him as he turned onto his back, gripping her roughly and guiding her into a steady rock against him.

Everything else was lost to her the second he kissed, licked and grazed his teeth along her neck, the second he took control of their pace from beneath her and left Sakura to cling tightly to him, revelling in the intimate rocking of his hips against hers, the hot feeling of his open-mouthed kisses on her neck. She tried to reciprocate, to bring him the same pleasure but all she was capable of was simply pressing her lips to his temple for a moment, way too distracted by his ministrations to do much else.

It was a relief to her quickly overheating body when he helped her out of her sweatshirt with jerky movements, throwing it to the ground without having to move too much or disturbing the intense meeting of their hips, and her arms went back around him once it was gone, hands tangling in his hair, not wanting to be separated for too long, catching his lower lip at the sensation of her nipples dragging along his chest. The roughness was rewarded with their turning once more, the pressure of Itachi's body pressing down on hers as he once more entered her making her head tip backwards, nails digging into his back.

His hair tickled wherever it happened to touch, sticking to their skin as a thin layer of sweat began to cover them both, but Sakura didn't mind. It was a nice feeling and a quiet moan of his name sounded when she felt that feeling, the one that told her something big was coming. Panting against his temple, her hand slipped down his back and to Itachi's hip, urging him to move just a little bit faster, crying out when he did so because swiftly, that coil, that feeling, finally snapped, finally _burst._

With her orgasm came Itachi's, a soft moan escaping him as he stilled his thrusts, holding Sakura's hips flush against his as he came. She did not move away from him and her heart soared when he didn't seem to want to either. Instead, Itachi tightened his hold on her and rolled himself onto his back, pulling her on top of him.

"…Wow."

He smirked tiredly at her whisper, hand running through her hair and eliciting a delicate shiver.

"I'm sorry if that seemed really sudden," Sakura continued in a quiet whisper, leaning up so that she could look down at him. "I should've… spoken to you about this first, right? I mean, there was that kiss we shared earlier, but it was our first and–"

"You do not need to apologise, Sakura. We're both adults and we both wanted this," Itachi murmured to her, pulling her down to him again and brushing a kiss to her lips. "Rest. If you really feel like we need to discuss this, we can in the morning."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this has taken so long, guys! I was trying to figure out how to draw out the building stage of their relationship (a few complained about how fast their having sex was in the original), but I decided that'll be one part of the story I won't change. This isn't a slow burn, after all and I've always felt and understood that in times of grief or healing, people tend to come together in loads of different ways, including sex, yknow?

**Author's Note:**

> This is me currently rewriting one of my biggest stories (so far, it stands at 330,030 words, so it's gonna take me a while).
> 
> It's full of typos, cringeworthy dialogue, awkward clichés and switching of perspectives not just once, but many times throughout a single chapter. Somebody warned me that going back to stories and rewriting them takes away the original spark and love, but I know this story has so much potential. I can't let it sit there, cringing whenever I think about it or receive an alert about it.
> 
> So, please bear with me while I add many chapters to slow down a plotline that spiralled out of control, add more depth to characters and essentially strip it entirely of everything that made it cringeworthy.


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